Interactive Journaling as a Clinical Tool

Spoken language is the primary medium of counseling and psychotherapy. The therapeutic value of written language has also been studied extensively, both to provide self-help information and to elicit personal reflection. Interactive journaling (IJ) is a guided writing process that combines both of these functions. It has differed from usual therapeutic writing in two ways: (a) by integrating the presentation of treatment-relevant information in graphic-enhanced text to engage the reader, and (b) by offering frequent structured opportunities for the client to respond to and integrate material being presented. This article provides a description and the first review of research on IJ as a clinical tool. Experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations support a link between IJ and behavior change. Research on motivational interviewing offers evidence-based guidelines for structuring IJ materials to elicit language favoring change, as well as testable hypotheses linking writing processes with outcomes. Implications for counseling practice and research are considered.