Mission, Vision & Inclusion

Mission

Our mission is to grow heart-centred bibliotherapy through reflective programs, reading experiences and creative resources.

We create spaces where literature becomes a doorway to presence, curiosity and possibility. Reading with presence encourages deeper connection with ourselves, with one another and with the world around us.

We support individuals to be their own bibliotherapist, and we prepare people to guide reflective reading with their communities in ways that feel gentle, accessible and grounded.

Through reading programs, courses and mentoring, we offer quiet practices of reading and reflection where literature opens new ways of seeing and brings people together in meaningful ways.

Vision

Our vision is the wellbeing of all people.

We imagine a world where stories open gentle doorways to care, insight and possibility. We see bibliotherapy moving beyond prescribing into presence, inviting quiet openings with literature that encourage new ways of seeing.

My work has always been shaped by community.

Years ago, I was entrusted with designing a program and building a team of more than two hundred volunteers. Together we created a culture that was recognised with state awards for inclusion. The ripple of that work travelled further than I ever expected. People across Australia reached out after experiencing the warmth and care that flowed from the volunteers, wanting to understand how such a culture could be created. Being part of that unfolding, and witnessing the way people and communities grew through it, remains one of the deep joys of my career.

This is the hope I bring to Bibliotherapy Australia.

I want to cultivate a community shaped by story, reflection and presence. My wish is that what we create here will ripple outward, quietly strengthening the way people read, reflect and accompany those around them.

How our community grows

The Graduate Gathering and Gathering Around Story are small but meaningful expressions of this vision. They offer gentle places to return to story and to one another, fostering connection and belonging. Through these circles, we cultivate a culture that is warm, attentive and community-centred, allowing the ripple effect of this work to move outward in ways we may never fully see.

Inclusion

At Bibliotherapy Australia, everyone is welcome. We honour diverse cultures, identities, abilities and ways of reading and being, and we believe story belongs to everyone. We create spaces where all voices can be heard and valued, listening with curiosity and care while remaining open to learning and feedback so our community keeps widening. In all of our programs, courses and resources, we work to create environments that are accessible, respectful and alive with possibility.