Topic 6 biblio therapy

Bibliotherapy

Bibliotheraphy

Biblio or book Greek - vivlion

Therapeia or theraphy

Definition

Generally refers to use of books (literary works in particular) to

help people cope with problems such as emotional conflict, mental

illness, or changes in their lives (Pardeck, 1994).

Addresses themes such as separation and divorce, child

abuse, foster care, and adoption

Also employed in enhancing well-being of individuals who could

benefit from affective change, as well as personality growth and

development (Lenkowsky, 1987; Adderholdt-Elliott & Eller, 1989).

Aim

To help people of all ages to understand themselves and to cope

with problems by providing literature relevant to their personal situations

and developmental needs at appropriate times (Hebert & Kent,

2000).

Underlying Premise of Bibliotheraphy Clients identify with literary characters similar to themselves

Clients release emotions (through catharsis: cleansing of emotions brought about through expressing oneself through some form of art, such as music, movement, painting or writing.)

Clients gain new directions in life, and explore new ways of interacting (Gladding & Gladding, 1991).

Reactive and Interactive Approaches in BibliotheraphyMore traditional approach: reactive (focused on getting

individuals to react positively or negatively to the reading

material).

More recent approach:interactive - a development consistent with experiential

theories of Reader Response that view reading as a transactional

process between reader and text.

Experiential Reader Response Theories

During reading process, readers:

become emotionally involved

construct alternative worlds and conceptualise characters, events & settings, and create visual images,

connect the text with their own experiences, and evaluate their own experiences against what happens in the texts (Beach, 1993).

Interactions in Bibliotheraphy As readers attempt to process what is being communicated at the deepest levels, readers engage in activities that help them reflect on what they read, such as group discussion and dialogue journal writing (Palmer, et al., 1997; Anderson & MacCurdy, 2000; Morawski & Gilbert, 2000).

Readers also interact with facilitators or counsellors through discussion and “therapeutic interactions” (Hynes & Hynes-Berry, 1986, p. 10).

Activities aimed at helping readers make a positive alternation or modification in behaviour or attitude (Myers, 1998).

Types of BibliotheraphyCl

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Skilled practitioners use therapeutic methods to help individuals experiencing serious emotional problems.

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Classroom teachers help ‘normal’ students in their general health and development; focuses on helping teachers identify students’ concerns before problems arise and guide them through predictable stages of adolescence => they are equipped with some knowledge of what to expect and examples of how other teenagers have dealt with the same concerns (Hebert & Kent, 2000).

Basic Stages in Bibliotheraphy

Identification and selection

Presentation

Follow-up

Identification and Selection

Identify clients' needs Select appropriate stories or

poems to match particular problems

Selection of Materials• Stories, poems and other materials:

Must help readers feel relieved; they are not the only ones facing a specific problem or that they are the only ones who possess particular

personality traits => characters in the Literature should resemble the readers in some aspects of behaviour, or they should

experience circumstances very similar to those of the readers.

Must be age-appropriate so that readers can better

relate to the content.

Must be at appropriate reading level so that

readers will not struggle excessively to make

sense of text

Must have enough depth to enable a

discussion of issues

Must provide correct information about a problem while not

imparting a false sense of hope (Pardeck,

1994).

Presentation

Present literary pieces carefully and strategically so that the clients are

able to see similarities between themselves and the book

characters.

Procedure

(Basic procedure may be similar to

normal interactive Literature lessons)

Start: Teachers and students begin by reading a book

or poem

After reading: Discuss / react to

characters and common

experiences in the literary material

Examples of Session Activities(group/individual)

Example 1:- Assign a text for reading before a

session - Participants respond to what they

read- Guide readers, e.g., if assigned book is The Blind Men and the

Elephant: An Old Tale from the Land of India, guide them to see that

personal perceptions differ according to experience.

Example 2:- Get each participant to share a

piece of literature that has a special significance for him

- As he talks, help him to realise what the stories mean to him and

why it has an impact. - In a group setting, other

participants may also identify themselves with particular

characters.

Follow-up

Once the participants can identify with relevant characters, they enter the follow-

up stage: they share what they have learnt about themselves as a result of

identifying with and examining the literary characters and their experiences.

Catharsis Cathartic activity designed to help

readers come to terms with their problems and to cleanse themselves

emotionally.

Catharsis expressed verbally in oral discussion or writing, or nonverbal

means such as art (Sridhar & Vaughn, 2000), role-playing,

creative problem solving, or self-selected options for students to

pursue individually (Hebert & Kent, 2000).

Once catharsis has occurred, clients

guided to gain further insight into the

problem through activities

Examples of activities:-Develop a summary of the book, using the point of

view of different characters.-Create a diary for a character in the story.

-Write a letter from one character in the book to another, or from the student to one of the characters.

-Compose a different ending to the story.-Compose a "Dear Abby" letter that a book character

could have written about a problem situation

Such activities help readers to study

issues from a variety of perspectives, and in

doing so, they may see solutions to their

own problems.

The Role of the HelperCarefully design a programme

=> draw from the basic principles of counsellor

behaviour such as being non-judgemental and empathic, and being good listeners.

Be effective facilitators who can help readers see aspects of their own behaviour or problem in the literary materials, and later help

the readers participate in cathartic activities

Develop a basic knowledge of literary appreciation, as literary

materials often make use of metaphors or images that, if

explored, can provide readers with a framework for viewing – or not

viewing – their problems in specific ways, e.g., in interpreting Robert

Frosts’s poem The Road Not Taken

Literary appreciation and counselling/helping both involve activities such as

restating or paraphrasing, clarifying, questioning,

summarizing and reflection – they can enhance each other.

Benefits of Bibliotheraphy

provides opportunity for participants to recognize and understand themselves, their characteristics, and the complexity of human thought and behaviour

promotes social development as well as the love of literature in general, and reading in particular

reduces feelings of isolation that may be felt by people with problems

Challenges

Unavailability of materials on certain

topics, lack of materials in certain

languages

• useful to have network (Literature teachers, writers, counsellors

• compile and share books.

Facilitators may have limited knowledge of human development

or appropriate literature

• need training and exposure to literary repertoire for use in bibliotherapy

Facilitators may insist on making a point at the client's expense

• avoid personal interests

Lack of client readiness /

willingness to read

• material and presentation must be attractive and relevant enough

Clients defensive / unwilling to discuss

uncomfortable issues: discount actions of characters, fail to

identify with them, or use them as scapegoats

• need to continue process itself, role play

Clients may project own motives onto

characters and thus reinforce their own

perceptions and solutions

• help them be constantly aware of own problems