Bibliotherapy

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Bibliotherapy

• An Issues Approach to Childrens Literature

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• What is Bibliotherapy
• Why Bibliotherapy
• Who does it?
• How?
• Brainstorm Range of Topics of Concern

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Developmental Bibliotherapy

• What is Bibliotherapy?
• Definitions are often contradictory
• Self-help approach of simply giving a book to a
  parent or a child
• Helping with books
• Bibliotherapy is the healing power of books.
• The term Bibliotherapy for some is used only if
  there are accompanying activities to help the
  reader draw healing insight from the book. I.e.
  discussion, role playing and creative role
  playing activities
• Use of books to influence total development, a
  process of interactions between the reader and
  literature which is used for personality
  assessment, adjustment, growth, clinical and
  mental hygiene purposes
• Effective therapy using books must also include
  plans for implementing children's newly found
  insights, strategies to monitor their compliance
  with plans, and provisions for correcting plans
  that prove to be ineffective.

Clinical Bibliotherapy
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• Why Bibliotherapy
• Enhance personal, social and cultural insight
• Encourage emotional catharsis
• Promote resiliency
• Assist children in solving day to day problems
• Assist children to cope with developmental change
• Assist children to cope with emotional
  disruptions and developmental change
• Assist children in problem solving strategies
• Assist children in becoming more empathetic with
  others
• Assist children in learning about the world
  around them and our culture
• Promote satisfying personal relationships with
  other people- connectedness through a shared
  experience
• Assist children in understanding that other
  people have faced similar problems and had
  similar feelings
• Provide information about challenges that may be
  faced
• Provide recreation of getting lost in a good
  story about real people.

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Who Does What?And For What Purposes? Parents Te
achers Media Professionals Mental Health
Professionals Guidance Counselors Social
Workers Psychologists Psychiatrists If more than
one professional involved is the
relationship Cooperative Have same groups of
children, but have different purposes (goal is
not to contradict efforts) ConsultativeOne
professional works in consultation with another-
relying on expertise of that person and
supervision Collaborative Both professionals
share responsibilities and expertise
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How?
Activities
Participants
Purpose(s)

• Enhancing Self Esteem
• Promoting satisfying relationships with peers
• Fostering Personal insight
• Fostering empathy
• Assisting with problem solving
• Recreation
• Altering ways in which children act
• Emotional Catharsis
• Etc.

Classroom level?, Program level? In cooperation,
consultation, or collaboration with others?
Books/Material selection- Pre, During, Post and
Beyond
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Issues?
Rudman,, (1995)
Families Life Cycle

• Siblings
• The new baby
• Sibling rivalry
• The new Baby
• Twins
• Cooperation and Love
• Facing Responsibility
• Adoption/Foster care
• Divorce-Aftermath, Managing
• Single parent families
• Blended families
• Extended Families

• Sexuality
• Younger children
• Older children
• Aging
• Death
• Suicide
• Immortality and the Supernatural
• Books in which death is incidental

Societal

• Portrayal of men and boys Cultural Heritage
• Portrayal of women and girls Special
  Needs Sexual Abuse
• Neurological conditions Physical and Emotional
  Abuse
• Intellect Substance Abuse
• Physical War and Peace
• Emotions
• Other categories

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Strategies?

• Booktalks
• Anticipation Reaction Guides
• Creating a sequel to the story to share
• Read aloud of key passages with discussion and
  commentaries
• "I am" Character Poem or "I know" character poem
• Character Webs
• Dramatic presentation of the issue or conflict in
  the book with
• alternative resolutions
• Panel debates
• Reader-on-the-street- interview
• Collages representing different characters
• A new character for the book
• A new ending/resolution for the book
• Telling the story from the perspective of a
  different character(s)
• Questions generated in response to the reading of
  the book and background research/information
  related to the issue of concern ( you may use the
  Internet
• to present valuable websites to the class)
• Letters to or from a character
• An Interview with the character (Hot Seat)

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Bibliotherapy means various things to people
depending upon its purposes. On one end of the
spectrum, there is a clinical orientation while
on the other there is a developmental view of the
process. The people involved and the strategies
and approach differ according to where they fall
along the continuum. Bibliotherapy acknowledges
the power that a book has to touch our minds and
our hearts. It involves using books to enhance
personal insights about self, others, societal
situations, and about our culture. While the
results of reading and responding to books which
address various issues of concern may indeed be
healing, this class takes a developmental
approach. Bibliotherapy in this context is seen
as adjunctive to a literary approach to books
(Rudman,1993), and it is not considered to be
therapy. Therefore, the books selected must be
of value not only in terms of the issues
addressed, but also in terms of literary quality.
From this perspective the issues addressed and
strategies employed are in keeping with a Reader
Response Approach (Rosenblatt) to literature in
which children are encouraged to experience a
book in a variety of ways and levels. They are
encouraged to find themselves and lose themselves
in a good book.
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Resources on the web Webquest
Bibliotherpay http//www.indiana.edu/eric_rec/ie
o/bibs/bibl-ele.html
Vandergrifts selected list of bibs on sensitve
issues http//www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/b
ookssen.html
Books on Aging for Children and Young
Adults http//www.pangea.ca/mmirus/deerlo12.html
Helping Children with Books http//www.ci.eugene.
or.us/Library/staffref/therapy.htm