Left Write Hook program reaches new milestone with latest funding announcement

A project co-led by Faculty of Fine Arts and Music researcher Dr Donna Lyon has recently been awarded a Federal Government grant to assess the project’s outcomes.

The Left Write Hook program, a peer-led, trauma-informed group recovery program for victim-survivors of child sexual abuse, was awarded a Medical Research Future Funding (MRFF) grant of almost $600,000 for a three-year study that will assess the outcomes of the program on participants, both mentally and physically.

The funding outcomes were recently announced by the Minister for Health, the Hon. Mark Butler MP. The research program Left Write Hook stems from a University of Melbourne Creativity and Wellbeing Research Initiative, and later became the subject of a feature documentary funded by Screen Australia, VicScreen, Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund, Minderoo Pictures with support from University of Melbourne.

The program, which prioritises the safety and privacy of its participants, is designed to empower female-identifying and gender diverse adult survivors of sexual abuse and trauma to break down the silence and shame they experience through writing, boxing, sharing and peer support.

Project co-chief investigator and Senior Lecturer in Film and TV Dr Donna Lyon said this new funding announcement is the latest milestone for the cross-disciplinary project which connects different fields, including medical and creative practice research.

“This generous grant not only acknowledges the innovative approach of the Left Write Hook program but also affirms the importance of creative and interdisciplinary methods in healing and research,” said Dr Lyon. “By interweaving the cathartic powers of writing and trauma-informed boxing, this program offers hope, solace and recovery for those who have endured too much silence.”

The research team behind Left Write Hook in includes lead Chief Investigator Dr Caitlin Hitchcock, (Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne), and Professor Eva Alisic (University of Melbourne), Dr Digsu Koye (University of Melbourne), Professor Genevieve Healy (University of Queensland), and Dr Ana Goode (University of Queensland).