Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic tool for helping children deal with stressful events. Bullying and peer victimization is commonly experienced by children and has been associated with psychosocial maladjustment. However, research suggests that particular coping strategies may be more or less effective. As stories are one avenue through which…

Death, illness, divorce, abuse--any degree of loss is unpleasant to discuss, unpleasant to think about. Yet, no one is exempt from the misfortunes that accompany life's journey. This includes gifted children, who at times may be perceived as self-sufficient and smart enough to figure out their own problems even if they are overwhelmingly upset…

Bibliotherapy (use of books to help people deal with problems in their lives) can be very useful in helping blind people adjust to their loss. Criteria for material selection should address matters of reading preference, education and work history, prognosis, and nature of the adjustment problem. (CL)

Bibliotherapy can help children prepare for and understand the death of a loved one. An annotated bibliography lists references with age level information on attitudes toward death and deaths of a father, friend, grandparent, mother, pet, and sibling. (Author/CL)

Introducing children to fantasy literature allows them to safely explore the problems and joys of being human. (JH)

Recent interest in the potential uses of bibliotherapy (defined as a process of dynamic interaction between the reader and literature) has prompted research into the effects of bibliotherapy on the reader's attitudes and personality. This document lists and describes 14 completed doctoral dissertations in the area of bibliotherapy and its effects.…

The librarian working in a hospital or institution with patients and the therapy staff must go beyond conventional library service. With many kinds of resources available the library becomes an integral part of the remedial and rehabilitative program. Strong and sustained motivation is necessary because the institution is an artificial environment…

Bibliotherapy, a humanistic approach to teaching, has been shown to make teachers more sensitive to the needs of children and to produce marked improvement in children's reading achievement. Books used for bibliotherapy (not for lessons or assignments) can provide children with reading that gives them greater insight into themselves, other people,…

Literature for children that treats issues of separation and divorce is written on all levels of comprehension and reading ability. (JH)

Describes problems of children in adoptive care and the use of bibliotherapy by parents who adopt children. Includes a list of 20 books which relate to adoption and provides suggestions for follow-up activities. (RJC)

Describes children's typical reactions to divorce and practical techniques that teachers and caregivers can use in helping children deal with divorce. The use of bibliotherapy is described as a means to help children. An annotated bibliography of select literature is provided, along with descriptions of developmentally appropriate activities that…

This document describes a literature search on bibliotherapy, discusses historical development and current trends in bibliotherapy, details the educational aims of bibliotherapy, and explores the part librarians should play in bibliotherapy, particularly when working with children and adolescents. Also included are a selected, annotated…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prescribed literature on the reader's self-reliance. The subjects were 36 sixth grade children from the ages of eleven to thirteen. Pretest and posttest measures of self-reliance were made by the California Test of Personality and the Teacher Rating Scale. The subjects were randomly…

Bibliotherapy, a therapy using the reading of literature as well as the act of creative writing, should be considered as a therapeutic technique in its own right, not just as an alternative to other therapies. It may help any age or ability level, including those who are blocked in more self-searching therapy, and it may also contribute to a more…