EVENT: Dr. Amy Krentzman to present on Journaling to Support Recovery
Dr. Amy Krentzman will be the featured presenter with SSW’s Center for Practice Transformation Free Monthly Webinar Series at noon, Friday, July 9, 2021, with her presentation “Journaling to Support Recovery from Addiction: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Study of Positive Peer Journaling.”
In this presentation, Dr. Krentzman will describe her research on the use of journaling to support addiction recovery. Many people keep a journal and many counselors recommend it. However, it can be surprising to learn that mainly two types of journaling have been studied scientifically, and very few journaling studies have focused on addiction recovery. Dr. Krentzman developed a journaling practice specifically designed to support addiction recovery, called Positive Peer Journaling. In the presentation, she will talk about her first pilot study of this journaling practice which focused on the development, feasibility, acceptability, and impact of Positive Peer Journaling. The journaling practice was found to be feasible and acceptable. Quantitative data showed improvement in a range of well-being, addiction, recovery, and mental health-related factors. Qualitative data showed that the intervention helped participants to recognize what was positive about recovery, to achieve meaningful, short-term goals, and to experience a sense of achievement and progress in recovery. Dr. Krentzman will discuss the next steps for this research and the implications of study results for practice.
Dr. Amy Krentzman, MSW, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work. Dr. Krentzman’s research focuses on factors that promote the initiation and maintenance of recovery from alcohol and other substance use disorders, particularly the mechanisms of therapeutic change that are precipitated by professional treatment, sober living houses, recovery community organizations, and mutual-aid programs. Recent research projects explore the experience of addiction recovery in rural communities, remote mutual-aid during COVID-19, and journaling to support addiction recovery.