Tiffany Carmouché

Often at the cancer institute when a patients’ blood pressure was too high to get chemo, I would go into the room and create art with them. After only 20 minutes working on an art project and having someone connectively listen, many times their blood pressure lowered significantly, and they were able to proceed with their treatment.

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Three-quarters of participants in a study published in the journal Art Therapy, experienced lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol during their 45-minute art-making session.  

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Other times the hospital room echoes with laughter and joy, and sometimes, yes, we share tears. Connective listening is a skill where you hold space for the person. So often people are distracted and are not present in the moment. That presence coupled with creativity is incredibly impactful.

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You’ll learn how to:

• Create a psychologically safe space and build trust quickly

• Understand the effects of burnout and support resilience

• Use silence to advance a conversation

• Be present (and make it clear that you are)

• Reflect back so a person feels heard

• Synthesize what you hear in a meaningful way

• Craft a meaningful poem inspired by your listening

• Be a sought-after conversation partner

• Maintain lasting connections with your healthcare community

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Outcomes of good listening:

Make people feel heard and seen

Making people feel seen and heard helps them feel more fully human. The ripple effect from that impact extends well beyond the individual.

Build trust quickly

Listening is a powerful tool for making the most of limited time for building connections. If you’re a good listener, people will share their truths with you sooner.

Help fight burnout

Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers are burning out at an alarming rate. More than being just clinicians, administrators, and support staff, of course, healthcare workers are humans. They are nourished by spaces to share their stories, reflect, and make meaning. As a good listener, you’ll be helping them stay in the healing careers they chose to serve.

See the healthcare world

(and the humans in it)

Get ready to really see the human side of healthcare. As a Listener Poet, you’ll learn more about how people feel, how they think, and what they’re going through than you could ever understand from a textbook or classroom.

Improve patient experience

Patients and family members are more likely to mention a symptom or environmental factor or concern if they believe they’re going to be heard. They’re consequently less anxious, which can make them more receptive to care advice.

Reduce errors

By contributing to a culture of good listening, you can help reduce medical errors. Clinicians who listen better not only hear more of what’s said, they also make patients feel more comfortable sharing more.

Improve writing skills

Writing for others is a deliberate craft. Producing a poem that someone finds meaning in, resonates with, even cherishes, requires skill and care. Practice and dedication are the best teachers, but we’ll cover methods that will guide you towards reliably respectable writing.

Gain transferable skills

Every field, every career, every area of life can benefit from good listening. Besides increasing your performance at work, you can be confident that improving your listening skills will improve the health of your personal relationships.

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You’ll be applying for an in-depth eight-week course with an official certification opportunity at the end. You’ll have 32 total hours of class time (two hours of class twice per week) and exercises with a group of 6-10 classmates.

Class dates

The next cohort will begin on Monday, May 1st, 2023. Class times are 4-6pm Eastern Standard Time.

Week 1 - May 1 & 3

Week 2 - May 8 & 10

Week 3 - May 15 & 17

Week 4 - May 22 & 24

Mid-Term Break

Week 5 - June 5 & 7

Week 6 - June 12 & 14

Week 7 - June 19 & 21

Week 8 - June 26 & 28

Certification celebration - Wednesday, August 2, 2023

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Certification opportunity

Students who attain their certification will be offered the chance to become members of an official Certified Listener Poet cohort. You’ll be eligible to continue receiving support throughout the year with regular meetings and mentoring.

Certification requires 1) passing an assessment, and 2) completing 15 hours of the post-course practicum component, during which students will coordinate their own Listener Poet sessions.

ACADEMIC CREDIT OFFERING: Students with an undergraduate degree are eligible to receive three graduate-level academic credits through the Wilson College Arts & Humanities program. Students who wish to receive these credits will pay an additional $500 on top of the regular tuition and will receive a letter grade.

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Tuition

The Certified Listener Poet tuition may be self-funded, or funded by your employer or institution. All tuition from this course supports the nonprofit work of The Good Listening Project.

• $4,500 Supporter rate (you’ll help sponsor an additional student)

• $3,100 Standard rate (this covers our costs for delivering the course)

• $1,750 Government/ education/ nonprofit/ scholarship rate (we draw on other resources from our community to support you)

Applying

Click the button below to apply to become a Certified Listener Poet. At the end of the application you will be directed to submit a one-time application fee of $25. Once payment is complete, we will be able to confirm your application for review. Your answers to the application questions will help us determine your qualifications.

Applications for the Summer cohort are now open. Please click the button below to apply.

APPLY NOW

A qualified candidate:

• Wants to be a good listener

• Wants to expand emotional intelligence and cultural humility

  • Recognize, understand, and manage emotions

  • Be able and willing to hold space for people sharing about difficult and potentially triggering topics such as death, grief, and racial injustice

• Loves poetry and storytelling

• Has strong written and verbal communication skills

  • English (with a preference for speaking a second language, too)

• Has reliable internet with video and audio capabilities

• Has approximately 4 hours per week availability for 8 weeks

• Has an interest in supporting our mission to cultivate resilience and wellbeing

• Is adaptable, willing to experiment, and self-directed

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Refunds will be considered for requests received at least fourteen days before the course start date. Cancellation and refund requests received after the cancellation deadline will be considered in the case of unforeseen emergency situations.

We reserve the right to retain an amount that covers the cost of fees incurred related to payment transactions, refunds, and/or credit card chargebacks.

After the course begins, refunds are not available. However, you may have the opportunity to participate in a future cohort.

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As Listener Poets, we offer the gift of witnessing, and more. We help people make meaning out of their joy, frustration, exhilaration, or confusion. Our nonjudgmental, empathetic listening validates difficult emotions, which can help people process their experiences and complete what psychologists call the “stress response cycle.”

The Good Listening Project was founded to cultivate resilience and wellbeing for hospital staff, medical students, patients, and their supportive communities. Through our Certified Listener Poet program, you will help build cultures of good listening by talking with these individuals and writing custom poems that nurture the humanity within the healthcare system.

If you’re interested in thoughtful listening, integrating arts and humanities into medicine, or helping the healthcare community, please apply.

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A qualified candidate:

• Wants to be a good listener

• Wants to expand emotional intelligence and cultural humility

  • Recognize, understand, and manage emotions

  • Be able and willing to hold space for people sharing about difficult and potentially triggering topics such as death, grief, and racial injustice

• Loves poetry and storytelling

• Has strong written and verbal communication skills

  • English (with a preference for speaking a second language, too)

• Has reliable internet with video and audio capabilities

• Has approximately 4 hours per week availability for 8 weeks

• Has an interest in supporting our mission to cultivate resilience and wellbeing

• Is adaptable, willing to experiment, and self-directed