We are excited to introduce a new partnership between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and The Good Listening Project called ListenWELL. This unique opportunity is designed to provide you with dedicated time to reflect on and share about your experiences and stories in a safe and supportive setting.
This is a two-part program:
Part I: One-on-One Listener Poet Sessions. You’ll talk 1:1 with a Listener Poet (via Zoom or phone) for ~20 minutes. You can share about whatever you’d like to have a poem about. You’ll then receive an anonymized custom poem based on the conversation (see Part I below for more details). Don’t worry–you don’t need to write the poem; your Listener Poet does this for you!
Part II: Small Group Peer Conversations: You’ll join a one-hour conversation via Zoom with 3-4 other women, led by a TGLP Listener Poet. This will be an opportunity to get to know others with shared experiences and reflect on your stories together (see Part II below for more details).
Getting started: schedule your Listener Poet sessions here
1
Choose a time on the calendar for Part I: your one-on-one Listener Poet session. When confirming, you do not need to enter an access code.
2
After you confirm Part I, click the pink “Book Part II: Small Group Conversation” button to select a time that works for you. This should be at least 14 days after your Listener Poet session.
3
We’ll send you a calendar invite with a Zoom link for each session. If you opted for phone for Part I, your Listener Poet will call you at the start of your session.
More About the Program
Part I: One-on-one Listening Session
There’s no need to prepare for your session, but you’re welcome to consider what you might like your poem to be about in advance if you’d like.
Your poem can be about anything meaningful to you. There’s no right or wrong focus—what matters most is that it’s personal and significant to you. If it’s helpful, you could reflect on the following questions in advance of your session:
How have your recent health experience impacted you?
Is there anything on your heart or mind you’d like to share about?
Your Listener Poet will write your poem based on the conversation, and email it to you within five days of your session. You will have the opportunity to suggest edits before the poem is finalized. The poem will be anonymized and is yours to keep and share however you’d like.
Part II: Small Group Conversation
After you’ve completed your 1:1 session with a Listener Poet and received your poem, you’ll join a 60-minute reflective conversation via Zoom with a small group of women. It will be facilitated by a TGLP Listener Poet, and you’ll receive an email a few days beforehand with more details, including who the participants for your session will be.
The purpose is to offer you a safe, supportive space to foster deeper connections and understanding. Through guided discussions, participants are encouraged to share their poems with one another, listen actively, and make meaning together (sharing your poem is not required to participate).
The benefits include:
Community Building: By sharing openly in a safe environment, participants strengthen relationships and create a sense of shared experience and purpose.
Peer Support: Participants are heard and validated, which cultivates connection and helps reduce feelings of isolation.
Enhanced Communication Skills: Active listening and empathetic dialogue improve interpersonal connections.
Personal Growth: The sessions provide a chance for self reflection and deeper understanding of one’s own experience, purpose, and emotions.
More Questions?
Share your questions with us here, and a TGLP program coordinator will get back to you asap!
“You are forever remembered for yourself and for the compassion you extended to me.
The time was harsh and lonely. You listened and absorbed my sorrow and longing for my husband. The gift of your poem was tender and lifted me to another realm. It sits framed with feelings of love for my late husband and for you.”
A Listener Poet talks with a clinician at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., January 2020