Empty Nests Are Overrated
"Our grown sons had long moved out when my husband and I took in two foster daughters. We all took a chance on trust."
Health & Medicine
Wellness
Carolyn Roy-Bornstein is a board-certified pediatrician and the Writer-in-Residence at the Lawrence Family Medicine program in Lawrence, Massachusetts where she teaches Narrative Medicine. Her work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Writer, Poets & Writers, and many other places. She is the author of four books; the fourth is coming out in April 2026 from Johns Hopking University Press nad is titled A Prescription for Bunrout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals.
Subjects
General
Specialties
Burnout, Physician burnout, Nurse burnout, Burnout in Healthcare Professionals
Doctor, physician, nurse, Healthcare professionals, medical students, nursing students
Restorative writing, Reflective writing, expressive writing, therapeutic journaling, writing
therapy
Stress, stress management, emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue
Well-being, wellness, physician wellness
Stress reduction, positive psychology
Mindfulness, self-care, self-compassion
Gratitude, Gratitude interventions
Skills
- Blog posts
- Books
- Essays
- Op-Ed
Writing Credits
New York TImes
Washington Post
Boston Globe
Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of Medical Humanities
Pediatrics
Pediatrics in Review
Pediatric Blood and Cancer
American Medical Writers Association Journal
Yale Journal of the Humanities in Medicine
Kaleidoscope: Exploring the Experience of Disability through Literature and the Fine Arts
Teachers & Writers Magazine
Medicine and Meaning
Reflective Med Ed
Kevin MD
MedPage Today
Psychiatric Times
Physician Leadership Journal
Patient Education and Counseling
Book Credits
A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026.
“Self-Compassion” chapter in Narrative Medicine: A Guidebook for Transforming Hearts and Minds, Routledge Publishing, 2025.
Through Thick and Thin: One Foster Family’s Eating Disorder Journey, Toplight Books, 2022.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries: 101 Stories of Hope, Healing, and Hard Work, with Amy Newmark, CSS Publishing, 2014.
Crash: A Mother, A Son, and the Journey from Grief to Gratitude, Globe Pequot Press, 2012.
Read
I'm a Pediatrician. I Unexpectedly Became a Foster Mom to a Patient.
A pediatrician changes her life by becoming a foster mom to a patient. She has this advice for us: Make room for the unexpected!
The Myriad Benefits of a Daily Reflective Practice of Gratitude
"How can gratitude improve our mental health?"
Mitigating Physician Burnout and Enhancing Wellness by Modeling a Gratitude Practice
"Harnessing the power of gratitude can rejuvenate burned out physicians, fostering greater resilience, reducing burnout, and improving overall wellbeing."
Going Back to Where it Was
A mother reflects on the difficult task of writing about her son's traumatic brain injury.
A Room with a View
A physician reflects on observations of patients outside her office window that she cannot "unknow".
Beyond Burnout: How to Flourish in Work and Life
A daily reflective writing practice can take you beyond just managing stress. It's time to flourish.
How Doctors Can Build Emotional Strength Through Writing
A pediatrician reflects on what we mean when we talk about resilience.
Burnout Relief, Made Easier
A pediatrician warns that healthcare leadership must prioritize staff mental health.
Thunder, Leaves, and Stardust
A physician and narrative medicine facilitator reflects on the role of literary arts in medical education.
Contact Carolyn Roy-Bornstein
Have a project or work opportunity you’d like to discuss?
Send a Message