Bibliotherapy uses books and story as a way of facilitating conversation and connection between people. Picture books for younger children are usually ‘sharing’ books designed to be read and discussed with an adult. The child listener can be influenced by the readers tone and emphasis and the adult can perhaps add relevant asides to guide the conversation towards the child’s individual needs. Bibliotherapy as a means of allowing children to benefit from experiencing the illustrations combined with the metaphors in the text. Puppets and characters from the story may also be used to act out feelings and different points of view.
There are two distinct approaches to bibliotherapy. The first being clinical bibliotherapy, which is implemented by trained professionals dealing with significant emotional or behavioural problems. Picture books can be used in therapy to facilitate exploration of significant life experiences such as anxiety, family break-up, loss or anger. The counsellor may select an age and topic appropriate picture book, then assist the child to extract the unique message from the story.
The second approach is known as developmental bibliotherapy and can be used by teachers, librarians and care givers to facilitate normal developmental and self-actualisation with an essentially healthy population. The activities on this site are designed to be used in this context and the resources are a starting point to explore some of the ideas in the book. You might even be inspired to write and illustrate your own unique stories!
Useful links
A list of picture books recommended by www.bapt.info to help children understand bereavement:
- Kerr,J.(2002) Goodbye Mog. London: Collins.
‘The story of the death of a child cat, the responsibility of caring for others whilst grief works it’s journey’. - Stickney,D.(1982).Water Bugs and Dragonflies-Explaining death to children.London:Mowbray.
‘Stickney effectively conveys her belief that life’s most basic truths are found in a simple story’. - Varley,S(1994).Badgers parting gifts.London:Picture Lions.
‘This sensitive book can help children come to terms with the death of those they love’.
Recommended reading for Adults working with bereaved children:
- Jones,E,H.(2001)Bibliotherapy for bereaved children:Healing Reading, London:Jessica Kingsley.
‘Written to help bereaved children understand and work through their grief, this book enables them to heal themselves by reading fiction, a process termed bibliotherapy. Eileen Jones demonstrates how a well-chosen book can offer a personal encounter with characters who may have experienced similar emotions and how books can be read again and again to provide extended therapy for children.’
Indigo Violet 