Dear Diagnosis
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About
WHO & WHY
Blog Manager & Project Director: Ms. Brianna Schiavoni lives with a handful of autoimmune conditions, herself. As a licensed clinical social worker & mental health counselor (LCSW, LISW) - medical advocate & coach - she is very much interested in the power of linguistics & the potential of commUNITY enrichment. While this project was initially founded in an effort to bridge the gaps between those silently suffering a medical &/or mental health condition, those under-informed to the nature of it, and those working with respective patients in the medical field issuing & interpreting 'diagnoses'; as the project grows, so too does its mission.
Through the strategic use of a narrative therapy technique known as 'externalization' & through a process of what Brianna calls "therapeutic editing", which occurs electively upon submission; Dear Diagnosis aims to empower a person - born with inherent worth & ability - from from their historically-influenced & culturally-bound 'problems'. "It is my hope," she says, "that this project will
inspire self-help & healing through the written arts. For those that choose to share what they have written, I envision the dissemination of uniquely written invitations - being sent out into the ethos - welcoming us to embrace our common humanity... I envision sowing seeds for a more compassionate world."
Through the strategic use of a narrative therapy technique known as 'externalization' & through a process of what Brianna calls "therapeutic editing", which occurs electively upon submission; Dear Diagnosis aims to empower a person - born with inherent worth & ability - from from their historically-influenced & culturally-bound 'problems'. "It is my hope," she says, "that this project will
inspire self-help & healing through the written arts. For those that choose to share what they have written, I envision the dissemination of uniquely written invitations - being sent out into the ethos - welcoming us to embrace our common humanity... I envision sowing seeds for a more compassionate world."
Italian Liaison: Ms. Francesca Fontanella is an Italian psychologist working in clinical psychology & health promotion in northern Italy. She loves integrating science & art, while co-creating solutions for each individual client's wellbeing. She is particularly interested in working with individuals to address chronic pain through somatization & emotional regulation.
Francesca discovered Dear Diagnosis during the summer of 2018 & has enjoyed using the platform to engage her clients in meaningful work - ever since. In an effort to encourage submissions from native Italian speakers, Ms. Fontanella has volunteered her services as the project's 'Italian Liaison'. Entries written in Italian should be submitted through this website but will be forwarded to her for language-appropriate care & consideration.. For those interested in transcribing Italian entries, simply cut & paste the respective posts into Google Translate.
Francesca discovered Dear Diagnosis during the summer of 2018 & has enjoyed using the platform to engage her clients in meaningful work - ever since. In an effort to encourage submissions from native Italian speakers, Ms. Fontanella has volunteered her services as the project's 'Italian Liaison'. Entries written in Italian should be submitted through this website but will be forwarded to her for language-appropriate care & consideration.. For those interested in transcribing Italian entries, simply cut & paste the respective posts into Google Translate.
WHAT & HOW
Write a letter (post-it, drawing, audio, or video recording) of any length TO an identified 'problem' otherwise interfering with your innate health & happiness. While the overarching theme of submissions made to the Dear Diagnosis project involves externalizing conversations with an influential diagnostic label (i.e. a disease, disorder, deficit, medical or mental health condition; e.g. Diabetes, Cancer, Depression); the platform allows for the externalization of most any historically- &/or culturally-influenced 'problem' (e.g. Perfectionism, Divorce, Unemployment, COVID-19 - as in The COVID-19 Outbreak; or Quarantine). In fact, this is the only requirement for publication - that the voice of the author remain separate from that of the identified problem, with whom the conversation is directed.* The central concept behind externalizing conversations in narrative therapy, after all, is that "you are not the problem, the problem is the problem".
A few LOGISTICS to note: Proof of diagnosis is not required - authenticity is. Authors will remain anonymous, albeit some identifying information is required by Ms. Schiavoni during the submission process & for logistical purposes. You will be prompted to list your age, gender identity & any diagnoses of interest on your entry form. If you desire to be named &/or to provide readers with any additional contact information as a part of publication, there is an area to communicate these preferences on said form. Handwritten letters, post-its, drawings, &/or audio/video recordings are all welcomed mediums & can be uploaded as an attachment. You are welcomed to upload a royalty free image of your choosing to accompany your post. The blog manager will select a photo if none is attached. Finally, at the time of submission, all participants will be gifted the option for therapeutic exchange. If electing to participate in what Ms. Schiavoni calls 'therapeutic editing', you can expect to receive commentary & additional questioning by your assigned narrative-informed therapist (i.e. Ms. Schiavoni for all English entries, Ms. Fontanella for Italian submissions). The intent of this exchange is to provide extrinsic validation, while encouraging further reflection with refined externalization.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If writing to a diagnosis, keep in mind that this platform welcomes insight from patients (i.e. persons overtly impacted by a medical or mental health condition); as well as self-proclaimed caregivers & interventionists, whose stories reveal covert influence. Whether the diagnostic label is biologically-based or neurochemical, inherited or acquired, formally diagnosed, undiagnosable, or otherwise not yet specified; the following prompts are meant to support meaningful reflection.
If unsure as to the recipient of your letter, but interested in exploring the therapeutic construct of problem-externalization; consider these reflective prompts:
*In rare circumstance & only after seeking professional consultation, Ms. Schiavoni may elect not to publish an externalizing conversation directed at an act of abuse or violence. For more on this subject, see Point #8) posted in an article written by the Dulwich Centre.
A few LOGISTICS to note: Proof of diagnosis is not required - authenticity is. Authors will remain anonymous, albeit some identifying information is required by Ms. Schiavoni during the submission process & for logistical purposes. You will be prompted to list your age, gender identity & any diagnoses of interest on your entry form. If you desire to be named &/or to provide readers with any additional contact information as a part of publication, there is an area to communicate these preferences on said form. Handwritten letters, post-its, drawings, &/or audio/video recordings are all welcomed mediums & can be uploaded as an attachment. You are welcomed to upload a royalty free image of your choosing to accompany your post. The blog manager will select a photo if none is attached. Finally, at the time of submission, all participants will be gifted the option for therapeutic exchange. If electing to participate in what Ms. Schiavoni calls 'therapeutic editing', you can expect to receive commentary & additional questioning by your assigned narrative-informed therapist (i.e. Ms. Schiavoni for all English entries, Ms. Fontanella for Italian submissions). The intent of this exchange is to provide extrinsic validation, while encouraging further reflection with refined externalization.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If writing to a diagnosis, keep in mind that this platform welcomes insight from patients (i.e. persons overtly impacted by a medical or mental health condition); as well as self-proclaimed caregivers & interventionists, whose stories reveal covert influence. Whether the diagnostic label is biologically-based or neurochemical, inherited or acquired, formally diagnosed, undiagnosable, or otherwise not yet specified; the following prompts are meant to support meaningful reflection.
- How has the process of diagnosis unfolded for you/your loved one/the patients with whom you work?
- What feelings, beliefs &/or judgments have emerged as a result of your named or unnamed condition?
- The impact it has had on your life choices, ambitions, relationships; &
- Any insight as to the resultant interactions with our healthcare system that you have encountered. .
If unsure as to the recipient of your letter, but interested in exploring the therapeutic construct of problem-externalization; consider these reflective prompts:
- Make a list of problems - or problem areas - that are likely interfering with your health & happiness right now.
- With the list in front of you, consider: Which of these problems feels most alive in my life? Which is most persistent?
- Try & personify the identified problem: Does it have a gender? A personality of sorts? Does it remind me of a person from my past or present? When did the problem first appear? Were there factors that contributed to its arrival/emersion/onset? How has it influenced my life? My relationships? My ways of thinking & interacting...?
*In rare circumstance & only after seeking professional consultation, Ms. Schiavoni may elect not to publish an externalizing conversation directed at an act of abuse or violence. For more on this subject, see Point #8) posted in an article written by the Dulwich Centre.