Gillie Bolton

Gillie is a very experienced seminar and workshop facilitator, lecturer, consultant, and coach, supervisor and mentor.  Available for commission for half days, regular day meetings, or intensive weekends or weeks, she works 1:1 or with any group size.

She brings experience in academic and classroom education, academic and practical creative writing and academic research funded by The Arts Council of England, the UK Economic and Social Research Council, The UK Royal College of General Practitioners, and the UK Poetry Society.

Gillie was a founder council member of the British Association for Medical Humanities, and has been a member of the previous Chief Medical Officer, Sir Kenneth Calman’s Medical Humanities Initiative from its inception in his Whitehall rooms on December 16th 1996.   Literature and Medicine editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics: Medical Humanities (BMJ Publishers), she was arts and health editor of Progress in Palliative Care, is editorial board member of the Journal for Poetry Therapy, and Spirituality and Health International.  Publications are listed separately.

The following give examples of her professional experience (each engagement only appears once: scroll down to see full range of involvement):

International involvement

• Lecture:Institute for Professionalism Inquiry, Summa Health System, Akron, Ohio (2008)
• Workshop seminar: Otago University Medical School NZ: Reflective Practice Writing (2007)
• Workshop seminar: Otago University NZ: Writing for Academic Publication (2007)
• Keynote speaker: Association for Medical Humanities ANZ First Conference, Byron Bay (2006)
• Invited speaker: Byron Bay Literature Festival, (2006)
• Consultancy in therapeutic writing, medicine and literature: University of Kuwait, Arabic Literature Dept; guest of Kuwait Ministry of Information (2005)
• Keynote Speaker: Literature and Medicine Conference: Finnish Society of Philosophy of Medicine (May 2003)
• Lecture Literature and Medicine: Tampere University Medical School, Finland (2003)
• Lecture Literature and Medicine: Helsinki University Medical School (2003)
• Invited seminar: Texas University Medical Branch (2000)
• Lecture: St Catherine?s University, Minnesota (2001)
• Workshop seminar: Fairview Health Services, Minnesota (2001)
• Seminar: Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith, and Ethics (2000)
• Invited member: Narrative Matters, Health Affairs Journal Residential Seminar Airlie, Virginia (2000)
• Invited speaker, therapeutic writing. Association for The Arts in Health Care Providence, Rhode Island USA (2000)
• Consultancy & lecture in reflective practice writing: Texas University Medical Branch (1999)

Professions

• Medicine
• Lecture & consultancy: Centre for Heath, Humanities and the Human Spirit, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School, USA (2008)
• Reflective practice seminar: UKCEA (Post-graduate education Advisers in General Practice) (2008)
• Reflective practice seminar: Foreign and Commonwealth Health and Welfare (2008)
• Coaching: medical professional writing about medicine (2006-present)
• Registrar training programmes General Practice / Palliative Medicine (1990-present)
• Consultant coach: Medical Aid project in Asia (2004)
• Invited speaker.   Windows on Suffering: A national conference on palliative care, Sheffield (2002)
• Reflective Practice Writing residential seminar leader: British Medical Association (2000)
• Association of University Departments of General Practice, Bournemouth (2000)
• Invited Seminar. The Medical Humanities, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor (1998) 
• Healthcare
  • Multi-disciplinary group seminar University of Canterbury Christchurch Department of Healthcare (2005)
  • Reflective practice in-service training Nottingham City Primary Care Trust (2000-2003)
  • Invited speaker: NHS Executive (Trent) Clinical Governance in Primary Care (2000)
• Clinical Psychology
  • Reflective practice seminar: NHS Education for Scotland (2008)
  • Therapeutic writing training: Clinical Psychology Unit, Sheffield University (2004)
  • Therapeutic writing training: Liverpool University Clinical Psychology dept (2001)
  • Reflective Practice in-service: Shropshire Clinical Psychology (2000-2002)
• Therapy / counselling
• Reflective Practice & Therapeutic Writing Training: Helsinki University, Association for Poetry Therapy & Bibliotherapy (2008)
• Consultant: Child and Adult Mental Health Team Sheffield special project (2006)
• Training seminars: Bretton Hall (Leeds University) Dept of Counselling (1988-1998)
• Psychiatry
  • Lecture, Therapeutic Writing: University of Sheffield, Academic Clinical Psychiatry dept (2003)
  • Workshop series: Therapeutic Writing with in-patients, Sheffield Northern General Hospital (2000)
• Police
  • Reflective Practice Writing Devon and Cornwall Constabulary (2008)
• Clergy
  • Seminars: Glasgow University, Dept of Theology and Religious Studies (2004)
• Academic
• National University of Ireland Maynooth: Writing for Academic Publication (2008)
• Coaching: Academic writing for research (2006-present)
• Advisory seminar: Bath Spa University, Creative Writing Programme (2005)
• Supervision: Creative writing teaching (academic) (2004)
• PhD student training seminars (1990)
• Social Work
• Seminar reflective writing: Southampton University Dept Social Work Studies (2000)
• Education
  • Reflective practice seminar: Sheffield University Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (2008)

Professional and Personal Development

• Reflective Practice writing
  • Seminar: Palliative Care Medical Registrars, Dublin (2008)
  • Annual weekend course: Royal College of General Practitioners, Cambridge Faculty (2000-present)
  • Invited speaker: Institute of Reflective Practice Conference Birmingham (2006)
  • Arts & Humanities Research Board & Nuffield Trust: Medicine and the Arts Interdisciplinary programme (2004)
  • Consultant: Leadership Programme, Institute for Public Health, Ireland (2002-5)
  • Seminar: University College London, dept of General Practice (1995)
• Reflective practice facilitator training
  • Nottingham City PCT 2002-2003
• Therapeutic Writing research
  • Therapeutic writing in palliative care.   King's College London University, Dept of English Literature and Language: Arts Council of England funded (2002-2005)
  • Therapeutic Poetry writing in primary care.   Sheffield University Department of Primary Care: Poetry Society funded.   (1998-9)
  • Therapeutic Writing in primary care.   Sheffield University Department of Primary Care: Royal College of General Practitioners funded.   (1996-7)
• Therapeutic Writing training
  • Lecture Loros: Leicestershire Hospice (2006)
  • Workshop seminar: Cruse for the Bereaved (2006)
  • Keynote speaker: Lapidus, the Association for the Literary Arts in Personal Development: Annual Conference, Canterbury (2006)
  • Somerset Counselling Service (2004)
  • Clouds: Substance abuse treatment centre (2003)
  • Invited speaker: Windows on Suffering: palliative care conference.   Sheffield (1999)
• Literature and Medicine
  • Lecture: Cambridge University Medical School Medical Humanities prog. (2005)
  • Keynote speech: Medical Writers Association conference (Newmarket Cambs) (2005)
  • Invited speaker.   Literature, Medicine and Ethics: European Quality of Life Programme (2004)
  • Keynote speaker: The Healing Arts Conference, Royal Society for the Arts, London (2000)
  • Invited Seminar: The Medical Humanities, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor (1999) 
• Writing for Publication tuition
  • National University of Ireland Maynooth: Writing for Academic Publication (2008)
  • Mentoring: Systemic therapist?s research (2005- present)
  • Institute of Public Health for Ireland Writing for publication training course (2002-2005)
  • Nottingham City PCT Writing for publication training course (2002)      
• Poetry
  • Poetry reading, Byron Bay Literature Festival Australia, (2006)
  • Creative writing workshop facilitator Byron Bay Literature Festival, (2006)
  • Membership of critical & performance group Off the Page performance and workshop poetry group (1991-continuing)
  • Poetry reading: Texas University, USA (March 2000)
  • Poetry & photography exhibition Royal College of General Practitioners Symposium, Cambridge. (1999)
  • New Voices Poetry Reading Tour, East Midlands Arts (1995-6)
• Spiritual Writing
  • Residential writing weekends Writing the Spirit Charney Manor, Quaker Study Centre (1990-2000)
  • Residential writing retreat weeks Reflections in Writing.   Quaker House of Healing.   (1988-2000)

Trustee, Patron, Chairmanship, Committee membership

• Patron: Survivors Network
• Committee LAPIDUS; The Association of the Literary Arts in Personal Development (1997-2000, 2004-6)
• Steering Council: British Association of Medical Humanities (2000-2004)
• Steering Strategy Group, University College London Medical School, Medical Humanities Unit (1997-2002)
  Chair; National Association of Writers in Education (1991-92)
• Committee National Association of Writers in Education (1989-1991, 1992-5)
• Trustee: Rosetta Life, London (1999-2004)

Journal editor

• Editor for Medicine and Literature: Journal of Medical Ethics: Medical Humanities (1999 - present)
• Associate Editor: Journal of Poetry Therapy (2000-present)
• Associate Editor: Health and Spirituality International (1999-present)
• Associate Editor (Arts & Health): Progress in Palliative Care: Science and the Art of Caring; editorship of Poetry Page, Arts & Health Page (1997– 2006)

Form of presentation

• Professional development / In-service training provider
  • Medical registrar training schemes in general practice and palliative care: a range of deaneries throughout Britain (1990-present)
  • Individual supervision: therapeutic writing hospice (2005-present)
  • Seminar: Loros, Leicestershire Hospice (2005)
  • Trent Palliative Care Centre (2000-2003)
  • Sheffield University Counselling Service (2002-3)
  • University of Derby Counselling Service (1998)
  • The Cavendish Centre for Cancer Care, Sheffield (1997)
  • Cruse for the Bereaved (1995-8)
• Keynote conference lecture
  • Keynote speaker: Writing for me, Writing for you, national conference, writing in counselling and therapy, Sheffield (2002)
  • Lapidus: the Association for the Literary Arts in Personal Development Annual Conference, Bretton Hall, Yorks. (2002)
  • Medical Writers Association (May 2002, Windermere)
  • See international involvement
• Invited presentation
  • Balint Society of Royal College of General Practitioners (2006)
  • Advanced Pain Course, Sobell Palliative Care Study Centre, Oxford University: 4 lectures (2005)
  • The Healing Arts Conference, National Gallery, London (2002)
  • Evaluating the impact of reminiscence on the quality of life of older people conference (2002)
  • Culture, Health and The Arts: World Symposium. Manchester Metropolitan University (1999)
  • Royal College of General Practitioners Symposium, Cambridge. (1999)
  • International Human Science Research Council Conference. Sheffield (1999)
• External examiner / assessor
• • Portsmouth University, BA Hons Arts Understanding (2000-2003)
  • External Examiner, Plymouth University: Further Education (1998-2003)
  • Evaluation: Poetry in the Waiting Room.   Kings Fund (2000)
  • External Assessor: Bristol University, English Dept: Certificate in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (1999)

Structure of personnel

• Multi-disciplinary team reflective practice workshop
  • Riverside Community Health Project, Newcastle upon Tyne (2000-2002)
  • Primary Care teams Sheffield (1998-2001)
• Multi-disciplinary writing workshop: large (over 50 members)
  • Therapeutic writing training: Somerset Counselling Service (2004)
• Uni-disciplinary workshop group: large (over 50 members)
  • Northern Support Group for Counsellors in Higher Education (2001)
  • Reflective Practice: Nottingham General Practice Registrar training (2000)
• Individual supervision, mentoring, coaching
  • Therapeutic writing in the community / hospice supervision
  • Therapeutic writing mentoring
  • Writing for publication coaching (books, academic, professional)
  • Grant awards submission coaching
  • Career crossroads coaching

Research and teaching appointments

• 2002-2005 King's College London University, Dept of English Literature and Language: Senior Research Fellow in Medicine and the Arts,
• 1995-2002 Sheffield University, Institute of General Practice, Research Fellow in Medical Humanities
• 1995-1998 Sheffield Hallam University, School of Health & Community Studies; Lecturer (Reflective practice writing) (p/t)
• 1989-97 Bretton Hall College, Leeds University; Lecturer p/t
• 1990-96  Northern College, Wentworth Castle, Barnsley.    Director: creative writing programme
• 1987-1992Sheffield Hallam University Dept English; Lecturer in Creative Writing