Regi Carpenter, a professional storyteller who has presented therapeutic workshops throughout the United States, South America, and Asia for hospice organizations, hospitals, veterans, cancer treatment centers, and bereavement organizations, will offer a workshop titled “Using Traditional Folk and Fairy Tales to Elicit Personal Stories and Coping Strategies for Veterans.” The workshop will help veterans express their own stories and develop coping strategies for responding productively to confusion, depression, loss, and the challenges of re-entry. Many stories from the world’s folk and fairytale traditions explore these issues, and research supports what storytellers have long intuited: when hearing a traditional story, veterans more readily articulate their feelings and are prompted to create coping techniques that build resilience and resourcefulness. This interactive workshop will combine listening, writing, and discussion. Through working with a traditional story and their own stories, participants will clarify conflicts and self-defeating beliefs; identify coping solutions; and discover action steps toward desired outcomes. Through this process, participants will be empowered to develop a sense of belonging, a capacity for personal reflection, healthy emotional outlets, and a livelier imagination. Moreover, they will learn to create meaningful social bonds by practicing listening and speaking skills.
This workshop is FREE OF CHARGE for veterans. It will be held April 15 from 2:00-5:00PM in Blairsville, Georgia. Workshop participants will also receive free tickets to the 2018 festival.
Please contact us at info@gamountainstoryfest.org to sign up.