Welcome to the Expressive Writing Project.

Since 2015, Dr Siobhan Campbell of the Open University and Professor Meg Jensen of Kingston University have run the Expressive Life Writing Research project to test their adapted Expressive Life Writing and Telling method as tool of support and empowerment for a number of vulnerable populations, from UK combat veterans and palliative care patients and their carers, to women victims of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations in Iraq and refugees in settlement camps in Lebanon.
This website has been developed to provide online access to bespoke Expressive Writing Materials in languages English and Arabic) so that a wide range of users can engage with these short writing exercises. Using both initial and final well-being questionnaires, the researchers will study the effect of the exercises and how far they have enhanced the participants’ sense of well-being.
This research aspect of this project is designed to discover as much as possible about how Expressive Life Writing which is delivered via online exercises and feedback can be supportive.

To do this, we have created a bespoke program of Expressive writing materials that will enable users to learn about how Expressive writing works, and then to complete a series of Expressive Writing exercises online. The writing exercises used in this project are designed to encourage participants to reflect on their life experiences through expressive language.

What will participation in this project involve?
Firstly, we ask you to read through this information sheet, and then if you decide to try these exercises, you will be asked to complete a very short well-being questionnaire. When you have completed all of the exercises that they wish to complete, you will be asked to complete a second questionnaire. These questionnaire responses will be used to support further research to determine the very best kinds of writing projects to help other people in future. Responses to the questionnaire, and all responses to the exercises will be anonymised: the researchers will never be able to link your responses to your name or email address.
Participants will also be asked to complete a very brief consent form in which you agree for the researchers (Campbell and Jensen) to have access to their questionnaire and exercise responses. As noted, these will be entirely anonymised. The researchers will see only your responses, not your name or email address.
Once the form is signed and the initial questionnaire completed, participants will be granted access to the full range of Expressive Writing materials online and a personal page on the website that will collect your exercise responses so that you can look back through them whenever you like.
Please note that you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time and without giving any reason by notifying the site administrator at: ____
The administrator will then simply delete all your responses and information from the site.

Will I get feedback on my responses:
Although the researchers are not able to offer individual feedback, we will regularly offer an overview of key themes and answer questions arising from the responses as we review them. Users will be notified by email whenever a new overview of responses is posted on the website.

What will happen to the results of the study?
The writing exercises and questionnaire responses will be used to help the researchers think about and further develop exercises and guidelines that will appear on the Expressive Life Writing Project website (expressivewritingforcaregivers.com), enabling us to support people in need wherever such support is needed across the world. The researchers may also draw on some of your anonymised writing responses as examples for those future participants. Those stories may also contribute to various publications that the researchers are interested in. These will mainly be academic articles and books. The results may be discussed with other university and human rights organisation researchers. All of information will be completely anonymous.
Please Register to Log in and choose a username. For the sake of your anonymity please do not use your real name. Please remember the username so that you can access this material again in future.

Please answer the following questions to proceed:

I confirm that I am here of my own will, on a voluntary basis, and no-one has coerced or otherwise forced my attendance.

I confirm that I have access to primary care (either formally or informally) after any trauma or violence I may have undergone and that these exercises are taking place at some distance from my need for that immediate primary care.

I confirm that I have read the information above and that I have been informed of the purpose of this website and the research it supports as well as the possible risks and benefits.

I understand that all the writing or storytelling I create in response to these online exercises will be anonymised.

I understand by consenting the writing or storytelling I create in response to these exercises may appear in academic articles or on the project website, published anonymously. I also understand that I have the right to ask for any of my anonymous writing or storytelling to be removed from the website at any time and that to do so I will contact the website administratory (contact details below).

I have been given contact details for researchers and links to other mental health support available and I know how to access such support or access the researchers for any clarifications or to make a complaint.