Leia Francisco
My love for journaling and expressive writing is entwined with my passion for helping people with transitions. After many years of writing and coaching, I completed applied poetry facilitation training in 2004 and received my certification in journal facilitation through The Therapeutic Writing Institute (founded by Kathleen Adams), where I was one of its first faculty members. I have taught my signature program, Writing Through Transitions, for ten years. In 2015, I published the revised edition of Writing Through Transition: A Guide for Transforming Life Changes.
Through my individual coaching and certification program, I will train people to facilitate transitions with their own signature workshop or coaching. I know from years of working closely with individuals that writing makes a qualitative difference in how well people navigate difficult transitions.
I believe that our prior work enhances how we coach others in writing their stories. I am a reformed English instructor, a former senior manager who worked for many years on policy issues for women, and a consultant for organizational change. My good fortune has included studying with William Bridges, Dr. Frederic Hudson, and Richard Bolles—my mentors and inspiration in coaching transitions. These experiences have profoundly shaped my work.
What I want to share with the Journal Council are my ideas about developing a new generation of expressive writing leaders.
“Leia Francisco, CJF is among the pantheon of great thinkers in the transition field. She has pioneered the use of life-based writing as a dynamic yet nuanced tool for all stages and forms of transition, and she teaches it with elegance and depth. Leia has extended her work to new generations through her certification training in transitions writing. Her alumni roster contains those who are taking transitions writing to new levels and to new populations, including cancer, brain injury, end-of-life care, retirees and more. Her values of authenticity, integrity and service shine through every class or coaching session. She's the real deal.”
--Katheen Adams LPC, Founder, Center for Journal Therapy (1988), author, Journal to the Self
“I found Leia Francisco’s “Writing Through Transitions: 4 Tools for Growing with Change,” course a deeply personal and richly rewarding experience. The course combines Leia’s extensive knowledge, wisdom, and experience with transitions in a self-exploration journey through the three primary stages of a transition process. Each stage of this exceptionally well-designed course provided information, examples, and writing prompts for insights on who I was, who I wanted to be, and what truly mattered at this stage of my life. And, as a bonus, I received 15 CEU’s of credit for renewing my Coach Credentialling.”
--David C. Borchard, EdD, BCC is a life/career coach and author of the book The Joy of Retirement: Finding Freedom, And the Life You’ve Always Wanted, and “The Life Relaunch Compass,” a transition resource for finding a new direction in life and work: Available at www.Visiontrac.net.
The “Writing Through Transitions: 4 Tools for Growing with Change” course has been a valuable learning experience for me personally and professionally. It has not only equipped me with the necessary tools and resources to better understand and manage my own transitions but also enabled me to support my coaching clients to discover new clarity in their own transitions through writing and reflection. This course offers not only a rich synthesis of the key concepts on transitions but also provides insightful perspectives and impactful writing strategies on how to traverse the different phases of transitions. Leia’s ability to make complex concepts accessible and relatable is evident in the course material as she offers valuable tools and techniques to manage change effectively. I would highly recommend this course as a resource to anyone who wishes to gain deeper insights and confidence in navigating significant life changes with resilience and purpose.
Chan Lin Ho, EdD, PCC, Spiritual Director, Transition Writing Specialist and Coach
"Leia Francisco's pioneering work, "Writing Through Transitions," is my platinum standard for navigating life changes in my journal. As a student of Leia's, I was so moved by the power of her course to address my own significant life changes that I chose to train with her in order to become credentialed to teach the course. And it has become one of the most requested courses in my line-up. After completing the course, participants often report that they have gained clarity, strength, wisdom and confidence as they move forward. One participant shared that she is so glad that she didn't write in her workbook as she imagines using Leia's model for any significant change that she faces."
Deborah Ross, LPC, Certified Journal Therapist (CJT), core faculty member at the Therapeutic Writing Institute, co-author of, "Your Brain on Ink," and contributor to, "Journal Therapy for Overcoming Burnout."
