Bibliotherapy as an integrative psychotherapeutic channel

ABSTRACT

This article presents the core ideas of bibliotherapy as an integrative psychotherapeutic channel, exploring the ways in which it integrates new meanings into psychotherapeutic modalities, concepts, and principles. The unique aspect of the bibliotherapeutic relationship is that it is based on a triangular mode of therapist-text-patient. It supplements this with the creative processes of reading, writing, and the development of the capacity to narrate. Bibliotherapy uses many of the same concepts as other psychotherapeutic treatments, such as transference, countertransference, potential space, and the capacity to play. The integration of various kinds of texts within the clinical context, such as children’s literature or adolescent poems and songs, makes bibliotherapy different. The text will be integrated according to the developmental stage of the patients. This article introduces the theoretical background of bibliotherapy and places bibliotherapy within the Winnicottian context and parent–child therapy. Examples of different clinical experiences within bibliotherapy are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Bibliotherapy
• narrative
• integrative psychotherapy
• children’s literature

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).