Class Title: Winter Solace: A Journal Writing Retreat Instructor: Dawn Espelage Class Term: January 11-February 4, 2010 We are not accepting any more enrollments for Dawn's class; the class has started. Synopsis Wrap up the holidays and start the new year with a peaceful inner journey. Class Description Participants will explore their emotional temperature, find balance, capture heart-felt memories, tap into creativity and focus on self-care and healing through this four-unit, four-week on-line writing journey. The class will use a Yahoo group for communication. Journal writing exercises will be posted at the beginning of each week. Participants and the instructor will post at least once weekly, sharing journal writing responses and/or a discussion of the process. All responses to the shared writing/process discussion will focus on support and encouragement of each individual's journey, finding "teachable moments," and facilitating discussion. The instructor will also be available by e-mail. Outline Unit One: Introductions and reflective exercises. Unit Two: Clarification and alignment of values. Unit Three: Development of self-care techniques. Unit Four: Summary of what participants have learned and how they want to apply it. Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required Internet access, ability to use email and Yahoo Groups. About 90 minutes weekly required to complete the journal writing exercises, share and read postings in the Yahoo Group. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $128. Non-SCN members: $160. Instructor Bio Dawn Espelage is the author of Life Lines: Celebrate Your Journey. She is a Certified Journal Instructor through The Center of Journal Therapy and has worked in the social work field for 13 years. She has written two journal-writing workbooks, Life Lines: Celebrate Your Journey and Celebrate Your Journey: Monthly Planner and Journal Companion. Visit her website.