Limited to 12 writers
You’ve lived through something profound. You’ve done years of therapy, support groups, journaling, and soul work. You know your story could help others—and you know writing it would mean something.
But every time you sit down to write, you hit the same walls:
This isn’t a writing class. This isn’t therapy. It’s the bridge between the two—a structured, supported, trauma-informed path from your lived experience to a finished manuscript.
In 6 months, you’ll draft your memoir with the guidance of a licensed therapist who specializes in trauma and a professional ghostwriter who’s helped countless clients bring their stories to life.
You’ll finish what you start. And you won’t have to sacrifice your wellbeing to do it.
(90 minutes each)
Weekly (Months 1 & 2) and Bi-weekly (Months 3-6) sessions that guide you through each phase of the memoir-writing process—from building your safety container to polishing your final chapter.
(Optional)
Mid-week check-ins to keep your momentum going.
50+ pages of worksheets, templates, and resources designed specifically for trauma memoir writers. Includes safety planning tools, structure guides, 100 writing prompts, and your final assembly checklist.
Sessions led by Emily, LMFT, PMH-C—a licensed therapist with over a decade of clinical experience—using the proven framework developed by Alee Anderson Editorial.
The founder of Alee Anderson Editorial joins your cohort for three deep-dive sessions and your final celebration + publishing roadmap session.
Write alongside other committed memoirists. Share drafts, celebrate milestones, and know you’re not alone in this work.
A custom-branded certificate designed to be displayed in your home as a lasting testament to your survival, hard work and healing. This will serve as documentation of your 6-month journey and completed manuscript draft.
Clear next steps for traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, or self-publishing—plus exclusive discounts on editorial and publishing services through Alee Anderson Editorial.
By the end of 6 months, you will have:
Not sure if you’re ready? Apply anyway. We’ll have a conversation.
Hiring a ghostwriter to write your memoir costs $100,000 or more—and you end up with someone else’s voice telling your story.
This program gives you the tools, structure, and support to write your story in your voice, at a fraction of the cost.
Emily is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Perinatal Mental Health Certified clinician with over a decade of experience helping people move through their hardest stories. She founded and led a group therapy practice for nearly a decade before bringing her therapeutic expertise to the intersection of trauma and storytelling. Emily believes your story is worth telling—and that you can tell it without losing yourself in the process. She’ll guide you through each session with warmth, clinical insight, and the unwavering belief that you have everything you need to finish this book.
Alee Anderson has spent her career helping writers transform their experiences into powerful, publishable memoirs. Her editorial framework—the foundation of this program—has guided countless authors from first draft to finished book. Alee joins the cohort for two pivotal sessions: a mid-program structure deep-dive and your final celebration, where she’ll personally walk you through your publishing roadmap and next steps.
Focus: Foundation
Build your safety container, map your story, choose your structure
Focus: The Before
Capture who you were before trauma—the full, rich human the reader needs to love
Focus: The Heart
Approach the difficult material with tools that protect you
Focus: Messy Middle
Write through the contradictions, the turning points, the transformation
Focus: New Normal
Show who you’ve become—integration, not cure
Focus: Completion
Assemble, polish, and celebrate your finished manuscript
You don’t need to be “done” with therapy (who is?), but you should have done significant work on the trauma you’re writing about. This program is for people who are ready to write, not for people who are still in an active healing crisis. If you’re currently in therapy, that’s great—your therapist can be part of your support system during this process.
We expect this to happen, and we’ve built the entire program around it. You’ll create a personal safety plan in Week 1, learn specific techniques for approaching difficult material, and have grounding resources at your fingertips. Emily brings a therapeutic lens to every session, and we’ll talk openly about nervous system regulation throughout.
Plan for 5-8 hours per week: 90 minutes for live sessions (weekly then bi-weekly), optional weekly writing sprints, and 3-5 hours of independent writing time. The program is designed for people with full lives.
Life happens. The monthly milestones are guides, not mandates. Our goal is a completed manuscript, and we’d rather you finish at your pace than burn out trying to hit arbitrary numbers. That said, the structure is designed to keep you on track.
Sharing is encouraged but never required. You’ll have opportunities to share with your cohort, but you control what you put out there. Some of the material you write may never be shared with anyone—and that’s okay.
You’ll leave with a completed manuscript and a clear publishing roadmap. You’ll also receive exclusive discounts on editorial services (developmental editing, copyediting, etc.) and publishing support through Alee Anderson Editorial.
Due to the intimate cohort size and program structure, we’re unable to offer refunds once the program begins. However, if something comes up that prevents you from continuing, please reach out—we’ll work with you to find a solution, which may include transferring to a future cohort.
Apply anyway. The application process includes a brief conversation where we can explore whether this is the right time for you.
You’ve carried this story long enough. You’ve done the work to understand it. Now it’s time to write it—with support, with structure, and with people who believe it matters.
Reach out via our contact form and we’ll be in touch within 48 hours
Join the waitlist to be first in line for the next cohort—and to be notified if a spot opens up.
in partnership with Emily, LMFT, PMH-C
Transforming Trauma Through Story™
