Meeting Bibliotherapy as an Educator and Strategist
Guest blog post
Karen reflects on reading, wellbeing and professional practice
As a little girl I told people I wanted to be a Librarian, so the idea of a Bibliotherapist - when I first discovered the term in 2022 - sounded incredible. I read The Big Issue article, Reading for Good, by Alicia Sometimes, and identified strongly with the idea that reading could make you feel better. I wanted to know more about these people whose actual job involved recommending literary texts for wellbeing.
After doing some general online research, I made my way to LinkedIn and searched the term ‘Bibliotherapist’, discovering 232 people with this fabulous role title. Four years on, the same search on LinkedIn generates more than a list of people - it also serves up content about Bibliotherapy, with different specialists using their posts as a way to raise awareness of their training and books.
As I continue the journey of returning to my True Self, I’ve drawn comfort from an exercise we began at the Advanced Bibliotherapy training with Dr Susan McLaine, Bibliotherapy Australia. It helped me reflect on the role literature has played in my life, since childhood, and offers a framework for deciding what form Bibliotherapy will take in my own writing, coaching and training practice.
The three day Advanced Bibliotherapy training course was held in Brisbane and included twelve modules. We explored the purpose of Bibliotherapy, where it resides in the context of Art Therapy and Social Prescribing, and a deep dive into the ‘biblio’ and the ‘therapy’. Susan’s model is grounded in neuroscience, psychological theory and practice. Her evidence based findings - from her PhD in Bibliotherapy - are sprinkled across each module.
Susan warned that we’d read differently after the training. Already, I feel the pull toward the shelf where my Year 12 Literature poetry book rests. Her advice to gather poems, short stories, and excerpts from literary texts has me gradually reshaping my book shelves - making space for a Bibliotherapy library. This will grow into a resource for inspiration and insight that expands beyond my non-fiction favourites, ready to be reached for in moments of reflection.
During the Bibliotherapy training, Susan asked us to consider the wellbeing principles that will guide our Bibliotherapy practice. While she did encourage us to use our own journals during the training, she does not use them in her Bibliotherapy practice. She encouraged me to consider how I may integrate journaling and creative writing as a way for participants to respond to literary texts during a Bibliotherapy session.
Susan is a kind and wise soul. With such generosity and care, she invited each of us - librarians, a counsellor, a wellbeing consultant, a psychologist, and me - to shape our own unique approach to Bibliotherapy, and to integrate this empathetic wellbeing practice into the design of our own programs.
What I learnt from Susan complements every conversation I have with clients, friends and colleagues, as we continue our exchange of literary recommendations and ideas, based on a shared journey with books and life.
I cherished the solitary nature of engaging fully in the training experience with Susan and, alongside LinkedIn strategy, I am enjoying working through how I’ll weave insights from literature - books, articles, and poetry - that open new perspectives on wellbeing and inspire gentle, meaningful shifts.
Educator & LinkedIn Strategist, Think Bespoke
Editor’s note: Karen recently completed the Bibliotherapy training with Bibliotherapy Australia. This in-person program is part of our professional training pathway for educators, librarians and practitioners interested in presence-led bibliotherapy. You can find details about upcoming courses here.