Individuals with aphasia experience changes in communication that alter identity and life outlook. The poetry modality is less constrained by rules, expresses sense of self, improving self-expression, sharing things otherwise not shared, and processing trauma and getting it out. The indirect, metaphorical language of poetry improves self-expression, partly through externalizing and distancing oneself from their writing. It leads to an increased sense of agency, new identities, sense of belonging, purpose, and a renewed sense of self. Research aim: Understanding the benefits of poetry for individuals with aphasia and CCD. 90-minute weekly sessions were delivered on Zoom to individuals with aphasia and/or cognitive-communication disorders by two graduate speech-language pathology students and a poet. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 poets and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Themes include poetry stigma, helping others (poems help others with aphasia, others can understand ones’ experience through poetry), helping self (processing trauma; expressing feelings is healing; accomplishment; growth; new identity; confidence), power of poetry modality (metaphors helps sharing, putting feelings into words, expressing the inexpressible), and power of group (belonging, group is relief, inspired by peer poets, feeling vulnerable). Poetry is a powerful modality for identity recovery when coupled with group interactions and project-based interventions
