SLU Program in Physical Therapy Student Publishes Guided Journal

Saint Louis University (SLU) Program in Physical Therapy Professional Year I student Meena Chetty recently published Chronicles of Rehab, a guided journal. The publication is designed to help health care professionals to encourage their patients to use journaling about their medical and life narratives as a form of treatment and recovery.

Inspired by her love of storytelling and physical therapy, Chronicles of Rehab was Chetty’s senior capstone project and was the culmination of three years of work. Chetty found it therapeutic to use a journal to write about her day to process her triumphs and struggles. She believes this exercise would be beneficial for patients going through treatment as well.

“Medical narratives, treatments, tend to interrupt life narratives,” Chetty said. “If a person has an injury, they might have to stop doing an activity or change the way they live their life. Patients writing about these interruptions to life narratives can be very helpful.”

SLU Program in Physical Therapy Associate Professor Kim Levenhagen, PT, DPT, WCC, CLT, FNAP, was Chetty’s mentor throughout the project and was excited to see her student’s idea come to life.

“There is a significant body of evidence to support the benefits of journaling during recovery from a life-altering event. This can be a helpful tool to advance the healing process,” Dr. Levenhagen said. “Meena found a way through guided journaling to allow a person who is facing a chronic illness to record their experiences and feelings along their journey. Each journey is unique.”

Dr. Levenhagen went on to explain how she has already seen Chetty’s work help others and how Chetty’s character shines through in this work.

“Meena is compassionate and caring. She leads with a servant’s heart and that is evident in the way she wrote these prompts,” Dr. Levenhagen said. “I am very proud of the work Meena has accomplished. It is a pleasure to show so many physical therapists another tool to assist patients in the healing process.”

Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of nearly 13,000 students on two campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of more than 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.