Bibliotherapy Pathfinder

Introduction

What exactly is bibliotherapy? Bibliotherapy is not a word most of us are familiar with. “Biblio” means book and “therapy” means healing. Thus bibliotherapy is emotional healing through books. It is the practice of using books about specific subjects or themes to help a child or adult deal with problems they have. For example, a child who may have had a close friend die could read “Bridge to Terebithia.” The child connects his or her situation to the characters’. They feel an emotional release as they follow the character through a difficult situation to a successful resolution.

Bibliotherapy is a powerful tool and one that many of us use without realizing it. We often recommend books to friends because we think they would like it, they remind us of a character, or the plot echoes their life. Almost everyone has a book that they return to when they need an escape, release, or outlet. This is the power of bibliotherapy. It provides children with a way of facing their own problems and stress from a safe distance through reading fictional characters’ stories.

Bibliotherapy helps us to understand complex human conditions and solve problems in our own life. When we identify with the character from a book, we pull some of their strength into our own life. We gain the courage and ingenuity to solve problems and face our own battles. Books are one of the most powerful tools at out disposal. This pathfinder will help you understand bibliotherapy and use the available resources.

Curriculum Reference

Curr/Ref LangArts T472 1991	Teaching Through Themes by: Gare Thompson This source lists specific themes that are beneficial to children as well as books that can be used to teach that theme. Each book has activities and ideas that will help relate it to the students.	Curr/Ref LangArts G982 1994	Enhancing Self-Esteem: A Whole Language Approach by: John Gust, M.A. This book focuses on different books that can be used to help build students self esteem. It provides several thematic unit ideas including building trust, creating a sense of community, developing self-awareness, determining a purpose, and promoting confidence. Each thematic unit has a book to accompany it as well as ideas to use with the book.
		Curr/Ref LangArts C319c 1997	Character Building : Literature-Based Theme Units Do you know children who need help with honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion, self-discipline, perseverance, giving, and friendship? These focus areas have several books to use as well as extension activities and ideas to use while reading.

General Reference

RC489 .B48B5 1978	Bibliotherapy Sourcebook ed: Rhea Joyce Rubin This book explains how bibliotherapy works. It also gives several case studies and examples of how bibliotherapy has helped not only children, but adults. It includes sections on views from other disciplines and foreign perspectives.
Z1037.9 .X1C8 1988	Growing Pains: Helping Children Deal with Everyday Problems Through Reading by: Maureen Cuddigan and Mary Beth Hanson If you are eager to use bibliotherapy to help a child, this is the book for you. Chapters are divided into topics that pose stress and concern for children. Under each chapter are several book recommendations to help the child deal with whatever problem is in their life.	RC489 .B48H96 1986	Bibliotherapy - The Interactive Process: A Handbook by: Arleen McCarty Hynes and Mary Hynes-Berry This book breaks down bibliotherapy and makes it easy for anyone to use. It covers basic understanding, literature as a tool, the bibliotherapist, and the participant. It explains how literature promotes greater self knowledge, renews the spirit, and aids the healing process.

Periodicals

Feb/Mar 2003 p. 47-53	The Mailbox Intermediate “Literature That Looks at Friendship” Use two great books Skellig and Bridge to Terabithia to teach the value of friendship. It includes reading activities as well as discussion topics and reproducibles.	Dec/Jan 2002-03 p. 47-53	The Mailbox Intermediate “Literature That Looks at Making a Difference” Because of Winn-Dixie and Number the Stars are two books that illustrate how one person can make a difference. Each book has questions, after chapter activities, and reproducibles.
Aug/Sep 2002 p. 47-53	The Mailbox Intermediate “Literature That Looks at Change” Change is something all children deal with. Sarah, Plain and Tall and Baby are excellent books to teach change. Reading responses, chapter activities, culminating activities, and reproducibles accompany each book.	Apr/May 2000 p. 27-29	The Mailbox Intermediate “Uncommon Courage” Courage is one of the most valuable characteristics. Several books for all different age levels are suggested to teach courage. Each book has characters who prove uncommon bravery in the most difficult circumstances. If courage is something you want to use in a bibliotherapy session, check out this resource.

Children's Collection

Children Fic P296B	Bridge to Terabithia by: Katherine Paterson When Jess and Leslie create Terabithia, their secret kingdom, Jess learns to use the world of his imagination and learning to help him cope with an unexpected tragedy.	Children Fic S898f	Friends Till the End by: Todd Strasser The new student in the senior class develops leukemia and affects the lives of his fellow students in various ways.
Children Easy S474	Where the Wild Things Are by: Maurice Sendak After getting into trouble, Max is sent to his room. In his imagination a forest grows in his room and he becomes king of wild things. He realizes how lonely he is and returns home to find his dinner waiting for him.
Children Easy B942f	Fly Away Home by: Even Bunting A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal and trying not to be noticed, is given hope when he sees a trapped bird find its freedom.	Children Easy E13A	Are You my Mother? by: Philip D. Eastman A confused baby bird tries to find his mother, so he takes a journey. After asking several animals “are you my mother,” he finally is reunited with his mother in mutual recognition.

Information

Here are some answers to common questions about bibliotherapy:

What are the effects of bibliotherapy?

What is the sequence of a Bibliotherapy Session?

*Students can face their own problems and stress from a safe distance through reading fictional characters’ stories.

*Students discover certain characteristics similar to theirs.

*Understanding complex human conditions, thoughts and behaviors through exposure to multiple characteristics in stories.

1. Warm up activity to arouse the reader’s inter- est and offers relevant prior knowledge of the context in the selected reading material.
2. Reading
3. Meditating and reflecting on the stories.
4. Encouraging students’ responses to the stories through discussions by asking more “why” than “what” questions.
*Helping students interpret their feelings about the event is more important than correcting comprehension of the details of the story.
*Allowing students to explore and reflect upon the character’s abilities to overcome crisis or loss from a safe distance.
5. Closing with creative writing, art, or role-playing activities.
*Creative writings for adolescents; cre- ative art activities for young children.