Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy is a type of creative arts therapy. It uses literature to help people work through emotional, psychological, and behavioral challenges. Bibliotherapy uses books and stories to help provide information, support and guidance. Especially in circumstances that someone has no previous experience with. Any book is available to use for bibliotherapy, a lot of the time fiction is picked most.

Bibliotherapy can be used for someone who is suffering from anxiety, depression, mood disorders, eating disorders, trauma, addiction, grief, or divorce. Bibliotherapy can occur in an individual or group setting and is usually used in conjunction with other therapy treatments.

Reading something and talking about it out loud can help with a lot of different situations. It can help you understand perspectives, seeing something from someone else’s point of view. Put your own thoughts or analysis into perspective. It can help you make sense of a difficult time or past experience. Reading can also help you experience feelings of hope, contentment, and empathy. It can be helpful to read similar situations to what you are going through, even from a fiction book, to find new ways of understanding experiences, or help bridge the gap of situations you have never encountered before. Reading can help improve your self-esteem, and self-awareness.

There are different types of bibliotherapy. Creative bibliotherapy is usually done in a group setting. You read stories, poems, and fictional reads then discuss them with a group to get everyone’s thoughts and ideas. Developmental bibliotherapy is done in an educational setting. This can be done by parents to help kids with new situations, or things like bullying or puberty. Prescriptive bibliotherapy is when self-help books are used to help modify thought patterns, feelings, or actions.

Reading books to your children has a lot of benefits. It helps increase the parent-child bond, supports development, and can nurture a lifelong love of learning. Some parents can use bibliotherapy to help their children. It can help provide comfort, normalize experience, validate feelings, teach coping skills, spark imagination, build empathy, and develop social skills. You can find books to help your child with everyday worries, anxiety, friendship issues, big life changes, emotions, illness, and family changes. Usually in an age appropriate format for your child. Bibliotherapy shouldn’t replace normal therapy options when needed. Books can help parents support their children’s well being when appropriate.

Bibliotherapy is not just for children. It is not just for adults either. Anyone can get benefits from reading a book. Reading can help with emotional release, or seeing characters go through similar situations as you are which can help you feel less alone. Books can help with cognitive restructures. This is particularly true when reading self-help books. Reading can also help reduce stress. Reading helps you escape from the real-world stressors, which can be a beneficial distraction.

Bibliotherapy may not be for everyone. If you or your loved one is unable to distinguish between reality and fiction, bibliotherapy may not be useful. Do not use it if there is limited intellectual ability or limited attention span. If a person does not enjoy reading, do not have their form of therapy be something that is not enjoyable. When finding material to read for bibliotherapy you will want to avoid propaganda, misleading information that promotes harmful, destructive or false beliefs.

You can find a credentialed therapist in bibliotherapy to help guide you to what books are appropriate for you to read. There are some blogs and websites that can help parents find books that can be beneficial for their children depending on what topic you are wanting to find, such as building confidence, big feelings, or social situations. Local libraries will have a large selection of different types of books. If you are wanting to use bibliotherapy on your own. Figure out what you are wanting to find a book to help you with. If you suffer from anxiety you can go find a self help book on how to learn relaxation tools.

Bibliotherapy is a creative arts therapy that is usually used in conjunction with other forms of therapy. Reading and talking about books can help someone learn new perspectives, see other people handling similar situations, and work through emotional, psychological, and behavioral challenges. Bibliotherapy can be used to help anyone of any age.