The Metaphor Mirror
Melissa Johnson Carissimo
Creator of Metaphoric Affect Processing (MAP)
Melissa Johnson Carissimo is a certified Person-Centered Counselor and Positive Psychology Coach. She is also the Creator of Metaphoric Affect Processing (MAP) which she teaches and presents internationally.
Developed in public hospital settings to help patients express difficult feelings in productive ways, MAP has been researched in oncology, psychiatry, palliative care and nephrology, and as an antidote to professional burnout. At the exciting intersection of medical humanities, creative writing and positive psychology, MAP is a powerful intervention that generates insight and wellbeing in the context of difficulty.
Melissa studied at Amherst College and holds a degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University. She divides her time between New York City and Genoa, Italy. She is married with three children and two Jack Russells.
Publications:
- Johnson Carissimo, M. (2020). Metaphoric Affect Processing: Reflecting and transcending self as metaphor. In M. Bazzano (Ed.), Revisioning Existential Therapies: Countertraditional perspectives. London, Routledge.
- Johnson Carissimo, M. (2020). Rewriting burnout: Metaphoric Affect Processing and healthcare. Metaphor and the Social World, John Benjamins Publishing Company.