Cindy Washabaugh

Cindy Washabaugh is a therapeutic arts practitioner and poet whose mission is to connect with others in exploring, developing and healing the deep Self, as well as the Self in relationship and community. She has a BA in Psychology, an MA in Creative Writing and English and has done supplemental training in Poetry Therapy. For the past 25 years, she has developed, directed and facilitated creative writing programs in colleges, organizations, and in the community.

Sample experiences include:

• Developed and facilitated a corporate-wide, long-term (10 years) program in Healing and Exploring Through Creative Journaling for a large allied health organization.

• Developed and taught a semester-long course in Healing and Exploring Through Poetry for Cleveland State University for several years.

• Project Coordinator for PLAN of Ohio’s annual Speak Out Against Stigma poetry program for mental health consumers and their families and friends. This highly successful program included a state-wide call for poems (over 1000 poems received each year), a series of writing workshops throughout Cuyahoga County, the development of a poetry anthology, and a culminating reading and awards event.

• Regularly teaches poetry and poetry as healing courses for community organizations throughout Northeast Ohio.

Cindy is also a widely published poet who has read and performed with her women’s poetry group, known as Take Nine, at venues such as The Cleveland Museum for Contemporary Art, Cleveland Public Theater, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Beck Center for the Arts, and many, many libraries and other community organizations. She was very excited to be a 2105 Poetry Partner with the Institute for Poetic Medicine.