Delegate: Penelope Kolovou | Writing for Health
Delegate Short Bio: Penelope Kolovou, MA MSc PhD(c), has a multidisciplinary academic background encompassing classical philology, educational psychology, applied health sciences, and intercultural care. She has extensive experience in teaching and training across Europe, working in both academic institutions, clinical environments, and community-based settings.
Her work lies at the intersection of language, medicine, and personal development, and is grounded in a systemic approach. She specializes in designing and delivering workshops that combine therapeutic creative writing with health communication, focusing on topics such as sleep hygiene, resilience, and overall well-being. Through a systemic lens, she supports individuals and groups in developing self-awareness, strengthening internal and relational resources, and fostering meaningful change through structured writing practices.
She is the founder of the Writing for Health initiative, which promotes writing as a tool for reflection, healing, and personal growth.
Penelope Kolovou is a certified therapeutic writing practitioner (DPT Köln) and a member of the German-speaking Society for Poetry Therapy and Bibliotherapy (DGPB). She is currently a PhD candidate in Narrative Medicine and Medical Education at the Laboratory of Primary Care, General Medicine, and Health Services Research at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Contact: penelope-kolovou.com | facebook: @writingforhealth
Scope of Activity: Individual activity
Activity: Description: On the occasion of World Sleep Day, two workshops were organized with the aim of raising awareness about sleep health and promoting a holistic and experiential understanding of sleep, grounded in a systemic approach.
The first activity was an in-person therapeutic creative writing workshop held in Thessaloniki, Greece, hosted by NGO IASIS | at Work. The workshop began with an interactive quiz, through which participants were introduced to key concepts related to sleep hygiene and sleep quality. Particular emphasis was placed on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, as well as on the importance of sleep medicine as a specialized field.
The second part of the workshop focused on experiential learning through creative expression. Drawing from a systemic perspective—acknowledging the interaction between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and broader life contexts—participants engaged in guided exercises to explore their personal experiences of sleep. They shared thoughts and emotions and collaboratively created a short poetic text inspired by inner “voices” and feelings that often emerge at night.
The second workshop, inspired also on the occasion of World Poetry Day, was conducted online, bringing together participants from Greece and Cyprus. This therapeutic creative writing workshop, titled “Dialogues between Voices, Silences, and Dreams in the Night,” invited participants to further explore their inner experiences of sleep through structured writing prompts. The session concluded with the collective creation of a poem.
Why this initiative: Sleep is a fundamental pillar of physical and mental health; however, many individuals experience difficulties related to intrusive thoughts, emotional distress, and maladaptive sleep habits. From a systemic perspective, sleep difficulties are understood as part of a dynamic interplay between cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and contextual factors. The transition to sleep is often marked by increased mental activity, which can contribute to insomnia and reduced sleep quality. This initiative was designed to address both the educational and experiential dimensions of sleep by supporting participants in identifying and understanding the internal “voices” that emerge at night. Through the integration of evidence-based knowledge on sleep hygiene and creative, reflective practices, participants were encouraged to develop new, more supportive internal dialogues.
Objectives:
– To increase awareness of sleep hygiene and sleep-related challenges
– To enhance understanding of the cognitive, emotional, and systemic factors affecting sleep
– To introduce practical strategies for relaxation and thought management
– To promote self-awareness through creative and reflective practices
Outcomes: Participants gained foundational knowledge on sleep health and engaged in a deeper, experiential exploration of their relationship with sleep. Through a systemic and creative approach, they identified patterns of thoughts and emotions that may interfere with sleep and explored ways to regulate them. The workshops supported the development of greater self-awareness, as well as practical tools aimed at improving sleep quality and overall well-being.
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece & On-Line
Date of Activity: 13.03.2026 & 21.03.2026
