At Renee Diane Trauma Therapy & Psychiatric Care, we harness the power of Written and Story Revision Therapies as a transformative tool for healing. These therapies are evidence-based approaches that guide individuals through the process of confronting and processing past traumatic experiences in a structured and supportive manner.

Through a holistic approach tailored to your unique needs, which may include psychotherapy, medication management, and collaboration with your other healthcare providers, we will work together to unpack the layers of past experiences, heal emotional wounds, and cultivate resilience. Whether you're struggling with anxiety or depression or navigating the complexities of interpersonal relationships, We are here to provide compassionate support every step of the way.

Together, we will embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, helping you reclaim your sense of self and find inner peace. Take the first step towards healing today and rediscover the joy and fulfillment you deserve.

Creative Writing for
Trauma Recovery

Dr. Renee Parisi, PMHNP, DNP, has developed an innovative therapeutic framework called Creative Writing for Trauma Recovery (CWTR), a structured, writing-centered approach to help individuals transform their trauma narratives into empowering stories of resilience and strength.

CWTR combines multiple therapeutic modalities—including Written Exposure Therapy (WET), Narrative Therapy, Dream Revision Therapy, and Expressive Writing Therapy—to guide patients through a unique healing journey. By creating a fictional hero or heroine based on the patient’s life experiences, CWTR allows individuals to retell their stories of tragedy and adversity as powerful tales of triumph and growth.

The Power of Writing as Therapy: The Heart of CWTR

Writing has long been recognized as a tool for self-exploration and healing. Through structured writing exercises, CWTR helps patients process painful memories, explore their emotional responses, and ultimately reshape the impact of past traumas. By focusing on storytelling, this therapeutic framework enables individuals to reimagine and revise their life narratives in ways that promote healing, closure, and emotional empowerment.

Narrative Therapy

In Narrative Therapy, patients are guided to view their life experiences as stories that can be reinterpreted and reframed. Through this process, patients identify self-limiting or harmful narratives and work to rewrite them in ways that promote empowerment and self-acceptance.

In CWTR, Narrative Therapy plays a central role in helping patients reimagine their lives as stories of courage and strength, rather than pain or loss.

Written Exposure Therapy

WET focuses on reducing trauma-related stress through written exposure to traumatic memories. Patients are encouraged to revisit and re-examine specific events, capturing detailed recollections and processing emotions in a safe, controlled setting. By repeatedly engaging with their memories through writing, individuals can desensitize themselves to traumatic triggers and regain a sense of control over painful experiences.

Dream Revision Therapy (Imagery Rehersal Therapy)

Dream Revision Therapy involves rewriting or “revising” distressing dreams into less troubling, more empowering outcomes. In CWTR, this approach is adapted to real-life events. Patients re-envision traumatic memories, creating alternate endings and imagined “victories” for their fictional hero or heroine. This technique helps individuals gain a sense of closure, resilience, and hope as they reshape their memories to reflect strength and healing.

Expressive Writing Therapy

This form of therapy encourages free-form, open writing to express thoughts, feelings, and memories in a cathartic, unfiltered way.

Expressive Writing Therapy helps individuals connect with and release complex emotions tied to past events, creating an emotional outlet that fosters insight, resilience, and self-acceptance.

Written Exposure Therapy

Rapid Trauma Recovery

(In As Few As Five Sessions)

Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a therapeutic intervention designed to address symptoms related to trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a form of cognitive-reprocessing that utilizes a structured and evidence-based approach to reduce distress associated with traumatic memories. Developed as a brief and targeted intervention, WET typically involves a series of sessions in which individuals write about their traumatic experiences in a detailed and organized manner.

WET follows a specific and structured format for writing about traumatic events. It is designed to be systematic and focuses on detailed recounting of the trauma. The intervention involves repeated exposure to the traumatic memories through the act of writing. This repeated exposure aims to desensitize individuals to the distressing aspects of their memories.

WET targets specific traumatic events rather than addressing a broader range of emotions or life experiences. The focus is on addressing symptoms directly related to the traumatic incident. The intervention emphasizes the emotional processing of traumatic memories. It encourages individuals to explore and express their thoughts, feelings, and sensory details associated with the traumatic event.

Process of Written Exposure Therapy

Assessment and Preparation:

The therapist assesses the individual's suitability for WET and provides information about the intervention. Safety measures and coping strategies are discussed to ensure that the individual is prepared for the emotional content.

Writing Sessions:

During each of the 5 session, the individual is guided to write about the traumatic event in detail. This includes exploring thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and contextual details associated with the trauma.