http://www.poetrytherapy.org/history.html#Beginnings
The Association for Poetry Therapy
In 1928, Eli Greifer, an inspired poet who was a pharmacist and
lawyer by profession, began a campaign to show that a poem's didactic
message has healing power. Poetry was Eli's passion, and he gave his
time and energy to this life-long interest. He organized the Village
Arts Center and the Messagists Club on 8th Street in the Village of New
York City, and then he created the "Remedy Rhyme Gallery." He became a
volunteer in order to test his theories. In the 1950's he started a
"poemtherapy" group at Creedmore State Hospital. In 1959, Greifer
facilitated a poetry therapy group at Cumberland Hospital with two
supervising psychiatrists, Dr. Jack J. Leedy and Dr. Sam Spector.
Although Greifer died in 1966, this remarkable humanitarian played a key
role in the development of what we now call "Poetry Therapy". He passed
along his love of "poemtherapy" to Dr. Leedy, whose drive and
pioneering spirit led to the creation of the Association for Poetry
Therapy.
While Dr. Leedy continued to explore the therapeutic benefits of
poetry at Cumberland Hospital and the Poetry Therapy Center in New
York, Ann White (co-author with Deborah Grayson of Parents and Other Strangers,
1987) was working with the Nassau County Recreation Department and
created an experimental project that brought the therapeutic benefits of
poetry to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and schools for special
children. Concurrently, Gil Schloss, Ph.D. (author of Psychopoetry,
1976) was conducting "psychotherapy" sessions with individuals and
groups at the Institute for Sociotherapy in New York. In 1969, they
joined with Dr. Jack Leedy to found the Association for Poetry Therapy.
Morris R. Morrison, Ph.D., poet and educator, (author of Poetry as Therapy,
1986) was a great supporter of the Association and drafted the first
systematic set of standards for certification in the field. This
document was published in the Association of Hospital and Institution Libraries Quarterly in 1973.
Around the country many gifted individuals, who were helping
professionals, were using Poetry Therapy. From the first few months of
poet Joy Shieman's pioneering research in 1962, within a mental health
unit of a hospital in California, her method was termed "thera-poetics."
Authentically and naturally, this right hemisphere of the brain
approach to the healing action of Poetry Therapy attended to what she
has always viewed as a lack within the psychiatric picture -
"realignment of the soul". In 1971, Arthur Lerner, Ph.D., poet and
psychotherapist, was appointed Poet-in-Residence and Poetry Therapist at
a private psychiatric facility, the Calabasas Neuropsychiatric Center
in California. Ruth Lisa Schechter, poet (author of Poetry Therapy: A Therapeutic Tool and Healing Force,
1983), became the first official poetry therapist at Odyssey House, in
New York City, working with addiction clients and victims of rape and
incest in 1971. Librarian Eloise Richardson convinced the Governor of
Maryland to hold a Poetry Therapy Day, sponsored by the state of
Maryland in 1974. Poet and educator Aaron Kramer, Ph.D. opened new
worlds to the deaf and disturbed (see Poetry the Healer, 1973). Poet Art Berger, Ph.D. wrote about poetry as a vehicle for self-discovery for both teachers and youngsters (Poetry the Healer, 1973), and used rock, blues lyrics, and "jazz cinquains" to elicit writing from children. Dr. George Bell (The Self-Discovery Notebook,
1990), a minister from Ohio, was incorporating poetry into his
counseling, and developed "the feedback poem," a technique enabling the
counselor and counselee to understand each other better. Clearly, Poetry
Therapy was being used successfully with many different populations.
The 1970's also saw the development of several groups or training institutes. Arthur Lerner, Ph.D., RPT (Poetry in the Therapeutic Experience, 1976) founded the Poetry Therapy Institute on the west coast. Arleen Hynes (co-author of Bibliotherapy - The Interactive Process: A Handbook,
1986), librarian at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC, founded
the Bibliotherapy Roundtable. Morris Morrison founded the American
Academy of Poetry Therapy in Austin, Texas. Jennifer Groce Bosveld
(author of Topics for Getting in Touch, 1982) created the Ohio Poetry Therapy Center and Library in Columbus, Ohio.
