What is Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy is the use of books to treat mild mental health problems. People can be helped by reading appropriate "self-help" material. The use of books as a means of providing therapy is known as "bibliotherapy".

The books cover a wide range of subjects including anxiety, bereavement,depression, self-esteem and stress. They are practical, helpful books that you read at your own pace. Some are workbooks which give you a chance to write down your thoughts and work through practical exercises. Some are real life accounts of how others with similiar problems have coped.

Bibliotherapy is reading material that has relevance to that person's life situation. The idea of bibliotherapy has grown naturally from the human inclination to identify with others through their expressions in literature and art. For instance, a grieving child who reads (or is read to) a story about another child who has lost a parent will naturally feel less alone in the world.

Bibliothearpy is often used to describe adults reading self-help manuals without therapeutic intervention, or a therapist "prescribing" a movie that might provide needed catharsis to a client.

Some Bibliotherapy Links

Health of Wales Information Service

Bibliotherapy at Swansea Libraries