HOW TO LEARN
Workshops
Deborah’s workshops are unforgettable! By design, every gathering of women through the Cameo Life Stories program is enlightening and uplifting. In a loving and accepting environment, women sift through their greatest treasure--their life experience. And safely and comfortably, they share that treasure. Each woman is honored, each respected. The miracle of our human condition is celebrated--and the stories take wing. Everyone is encouraged to be authentic, to search for her personal truth and to reveal only what feels appropriate. The meeting room invariably hums with the murmur of memories and revelations. All the best human gifts are shared--laughter, questions, attentive listening, empathy, knowledge, tears, friendship. Compassion for ourselves and others. And side by side, the life story and the wisdom grow.
Everyone is welcome--introverts and extroverts, talkers and listeners, writers and non-writers, younger and older. Most workshops are women only or men only, to encourage people to open up.
Deborah and staff lead one-day and two-day sessions that give you a strong start in the Cameo Method. They teach writing and memory retrieval techniques, review publishing options and detail opportunities for sharing and archiving your story.
Cameo Life Stories workshops are offered during the summer at Maidenwood, an 80-acre retreat with a spacious Gathering Hall near Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, just an hour southeast of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. During the winter months, workshops are scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona, and in various areas of the U.S. (See Maidenwood.net)
Questionnaires
The Cameo Life Stories Questionnaire was designed to 1) guide women in writing about their lives and 2) provide a standardized set of questions specifically geared to women. It was developed with input from historians, educators, writers, homemakers, executives, older women, young women, mothers, single women and women with a wide range of religious affiliations, ethnic backgrounds, experiences and financial means. The numbered questions are intended to assist women’s history scholars in their research.
This questionnaire is available free on this website. If copied in its entirety, the Cameo Life Stories Questionnaire may be reproduced to facilitate widespread distribution.
Available through the Cameo Life Stories Shop are the distinct questionnaires developed for girls, men and boys--FirstCameo Life Stories Questionnaire, Journeyman Life Stories Questionnaire and Young Journeyman Life Stories Questionnaire.
Written Materials
Supporting materials for the Cameo Method are available through Cameo Life Stories, including copies of Deborah’s book Cameo Life Stories Writing Guide for Everywoman, the Cameo Life Stories Handbook: A Guide to the------ Cameo Method, the FirstCameo Life Stories Workbook and the 4Words Guidebook for young adults.
Program guides are also available for use in conjunction with Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scout badges.
Consultation
Deborah and staff are available to help you refine your life review goals, overcome writer’s block, speed your life story progress, improve your writing, archive your story and share your written story with others. They can also assist you in gleaning insight from your life review process.
Blog
Deborah offers a blog to provide you a companion in your writing process and regular suggestions on how to improve your life review experience and your written product. She’s a terrific motivator and your biggest cheerleader in encouraging you to complete your life story!
Training
Those interested in teaching the Cameo Method are enthusiastically welcomed to Maidenwood for an intensive week of training under Deborah and staff. Cameo Coaches emerge from this process, prepared with a deeper knowledge of writing, teaching, life review, group process and women’s history, as well as a thorough understanding of Cameo Method philosophy and techniques. Comfortable lodging is available in the area. See the Events section for details.
Retreat
Sometimes a significant writing project requires a period of concentration and external support. That’s what writing retreats are all about. Maidenwood is a beautiful acreage the wooded hills along the west coast of Wisconsin, just off the Great River Road that follows the Mighty Mississippi River. Lovely rooms feature private baths desks, reading lights, chairs and internet access for writers seeking inspiration and solitude.
Speeches
Deborah Hansen is a nationally known keynote speaker and break-out session leader at national, state and local conventions and conferences. Her powerful presentation is tailored to specific groups, but her message is consistent: “In your own life story you will find insight, wisdom and strength. Tap into your personal power through life review. Your life is important. You make history. Find and share the treasure that is YOU.”