Background
This article recognises an affinity between the process of counselling and the creative process of writing poetry. It is an exploration into the nature of this connection as a way to get closer to the elusive internal processes of counselling.
Method
I use writing as a method of inquiry, acknowledging writing as a generative process that can make unexpected connections and go deeply into the nature of experience. Influenced by autoethnography, this writing comprises personal accounts, writing into creative and therapeutic processes, followed by an interpretation of those accounts, drawing on the literatures of poetry and counselling.
Findings
The process of staying with uncertainty is a key feature of both therapy and poetry. I identify an unclear internal sense of s‘something’ as a key part of this experience. Listening and giving credit to this allows it to develop in new directions, in a process in which play is important. The ambiguity of language opens up the unknown parts of experience rather than representing pre‐existing feelings. This space for the unexpected gives potential for creativity or a therapeutic shift.
Implications for practice
This research gets close to the nuanced and unclear internal and interpersonal space of counselling. It emphasises the need for space for ‘play’ and the unexpected. It makes links and opens connections between two different literatures and fields of practice. I invite responses from others, as a potential stimulus for dialogue about the internal processes of practice and their meaning in context.