Being the parent of someone struggling with addiction is an intense experience that can leave unrecognized painful and ambivalent emotions. Psychotherapist Lisa Hammer and writing coach Barbara Burt are co-leading a six-week writing workshop entitled “Re-imagining Our Stories: Parenting in the Wake of Addiction” to help parents deal with these feelings. The workshops will take place on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. beginning April 9, at Inn Along the Way’s Chapman Farm, 741 Main Street, Damariscotta.

“I am interested in the ways that history, memory, and experience, when explored through writing, can bring clarity to a traumatic past,” says Hammer.

Hammer’s private practice explores the effects of complex grief for those who’ve experienced suicide loss of a close loved one. She runs support groups and provides individual psychotherapy. “By the end of the workshop, members will likely experience a sense of healing and the lightness of an emotional burden lifted,” she said.

“By putting your experience into written words, you can gain a new perspective—discovering unrecognized strengths and reclaiming a sense of yourself as a parent,” adds co-leader Burt. “Unlike Lisa, I’m not a therapist. But I am convinced of the transformative power of telling our stories; I have seen it over and over in regular memoir writing workshops I lead.”

In the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to reexamine their experience as a parent of a child suffering from addiction. By engaging with their memories from a variety of perspectives and modalities, and listening to and learning from the stories of other workshop participants, they’ll gain fresh insight into their own story.

The group will have a maximum of six participants plus the two co-leaders.

The fee for participating in “Re-imagining Our Stories: Parenting in the Wake of Addiction” is $60. People interested in participating should contact Lisa Beth Hammer (lbhammer62@tidewater.net) or Barbara Burt (barb@barbspen.com)

To learn more about the workshop leaders, visit www.lisabethhammer.org and www.memory2memoir.net.