Training, Talks, Events & Programs
A year of conversations, gatherings, training and collaborations.
Here you will find upcoming speaking engagements, training and publication news. Each event reflects my ongoing work with reflective reading, wellbeing and the quiet power of story.
Upcoming Events
View all events below or choose a category
Bibliotherapy Basics Online Training
Monday 23 March – Friday 8 May 2026
Online
A seven-week, foundational, facilitated course that introduces the principles and practice of bibliotherapy as a wellbeing-focused approach to reading.
Monday 23 March – Friday 8 May 2026
Online
Australian Library and Information Association
Bibliotherapy Basics
Facilitated yet flexible online course. Your foundational training in bibliotherapy and wellbeing.
Course overview
Bibliotherapy Basics is a seven-week, foundational, facilitated course that introduces the principles and practice of bibliotherapy as a wellbeing-focused approach to reading. The course offers an experiential foundation, inviting you to first experience bibliotherapy for yourself before gently exploring what it means to design and facilitate sessions for others.
The course is self-paced within a facilitated structure. It is highly recommended that you follow the suggested timeline to move through the levels alongside other participants. This shared rhythm creates richer discussion and deeper learning.
Optional Zoom sessions are offered at different times throughout the course, providing opportunities for group discussion and questions.
Right for You If ...
... you are working in a public, school, special, health or academic library and want to develop skills in using literature to promote wellbeing and connection.
The course is also suitable for educators, community services, counsellors and anyone interested in how stories nurture wellbeing.
Learning style and outcomes
The course is experiential and reflective. Each of the four levels builds on the one before it, combining theory and practice in a way that brings bibliotherapy to life. You will:
Experience bibliotherapy directly before facilitating it for others
Learn how literature supports wellbeing, emotional awareness and growth
Explore the roles of fiction, nonfiction and poetry in bibliotherapy
Design and deliver a simple bibliotherapy experience
Reflect on your own responses and insights throughout the process.
By the end, you’ll have an embodied understanding of bibliotherapy and how to apply it in your own setting—whether personal, educational or community-based.
Delivery and commitment
Duration: 7 weeks (including a two-week planning break)
Format: Facilitated yet flexible, with a self-paced structure that follows a recommended shared timeline for deeper collective learning.
Dates: Monday 23 March – Friday 8 May 2026
Time commitment: Approximately 6 hours per week
CPD hours: 30 CPD hours
Digital Certificate: Provided by ALIA on completion of the course
Requirements: Internet access and a device to use the online learning platform. Access to poetry, fiction, short stories, memoirs and nonfiction resources.
After the course
Once you experience the effects of bibliotherapy on yourself and others, you will likely want to explore it further! Bibliotherapy is an ongoing journey, and Bibliotherapy Australia offers more advanced courses to deepen your understanding of bibliotherapy, its therapeutic purposes, and the techniques used in its practice. Bibliotherapy Australia offers training and educational courses to a range of community-based professionals focused on wellbeing. Completing this course grants access to free bi-monthly Zoom gatherings for past or registered participants of Bibliotherapy Australia courses.
Facilitator
This course is developed and facilitated byDr Susan McLaine, Founder and Director of Bibliotherapy Australia, and an internationally recognised authority in bibliotherapy practice. Before founding Bibliotherapy Australia, Susan worked in public and state libraries for 18 years.
Building Bibliotherapy Skills Online Course
6 July to 21 September 2026
Online
A deeper way of working with story. You enter a space where literature becomes a meeting place for reflection, connection and quiet growth.
6 July to 21 September 2026
Online
A deeper way of working with story. You enter a space where literature becomes a meeting place for reflection, connection and quiet growth.
The course brings together experience and theory, showing how literature, psychology and neuroscience meet through reflection and story.
Theoretical understanding is threaded through the learning, allowing insight to arise naturally rather than being taught separately.
Across twelve modules, you engage with readings, conversation and processes that strengthen both insight and practice. Alongside this, you begin to develop confidence in shaping bibliotherapy sessions with presence, care and attention.
12 × 90-minute learning modules
Certificate of Completion
Comprehensive course notes (one-year access)
Post-course reflection activities to embed understanding
One-to-one individual follow-up session
Free Graduate Gatherings via Zoom for ongoing connection
Early Bird prices available for in-person
Small classes: 5 (minimum) – 10 (maximum) participants
Bibliotherapy Basics Online Training: School Library
31 August to 23 October 2026
A seven-week, foundational, facilitated course that introduces the principles and practice of bibliotherapy as a wellbeing-focused approach to reading.
Facilitated yet flexible online course. Your foundational training in bibliotherapy and wellbeing.
Course overview
Bibliotherapy Basics is a seven-week, foundational, facilitated course that introduces the principles and practice of bibliotherapy as a wellbeing-focused approach to reading. The course offers an experiential foundation, inviting you to first experience bibliotherapy for yourself before gently exploring what it means to design and facilitate sessions for others.
The course is self-paced within a facilitated structure. It is highly recommended that you follow the suggested timeline to move through the levels alongside other participants. This shared rhythm creates richer discussion and deeper learning.
Optional Zoom sessions are offered at different times throughout the course, providing opportunities for group discussion and questions.
Right for You If ...
... you are working in a public, school, special, health or academic library and want to develop skills in using literature to promote wellbeing and connection.
The course is also suitable for educators, community services, counsellors and anyone interested in how stories nurture wellbeing.
Learning style and outcomes
The course is experiential and reflective. Each of the four levels builds on the one before it, combining theory and practice in a way that brings bibliotherapy to life. You will:
Experience bibliotherapy directly before facilitating it for others
Learn how literature supports wellbeing, emotional awareness and growth
Explore the roles of fiction, nonfiction and poetry in bibliotherapy
Design and deliver a simple bibliotherapy experience
Reflect on your own responses and insights throughout the process.
By the end, you’ll have an embodied understanding of bibliotherapy and how to apply it in your own setting—whether personal, educational or community-based.
Delivery and commitment
Duration: 7 weeks (including a two-week planning break)
Format: Facilitated yet flexible, with a self-paced structure that follows a recommended shared timeline for deeper collective learning.
Dates: 31 August – 23 October 2026
Time commitment: Approximately 6 hours per week
CPD hours: 30 CPD hours
Digital Certificate: Provided by ALIA on completion of the course
Requirements: Internet access and a device to use the online learning platform. Access to poetry, fiction, short stories, memoirs and nonfiction resources.
After the course
Once you experience the effects of bibliotherapy on yourself and others, you will likely want to explore it further! Bibliotherapy is an ongoing journey, and Bibliotherapy Australia offers more advanced courses to deepen your understanding of bibliotherapy, its therapeutic purposes, and the techniques used in its practice. Bibliotherapy Australia offers training and educational courses to a range of community-based professionals focused on wellbeing. Completing this course grants access to free bi-monthly Zoom gatherings for past or registered participants of Bibliotherapy Australia courses.
Facilitator
This course is developed and facilitated byDr Susan McLaine, Founder and Director of Bibliotherapy Australia, and an internationally recognised authority in bibliotherapy practice. Before founding Bibliotherapy Australia, Susan worked in public and state libraries for 18 years.
Building Bibliotherapy Skills In-Person Course
28 October to 30 October 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00 am
Sydney, Australia
A deeper way of working with story. You enter a space where literature becomes a meeting place for reflection, connection and quiet growth.
28 October to 30 October 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00 am
Sydney, Australia
A deeper way of working with story. You enter a space where literature becomes a meeting place for reflection, connection and quiet growth.
The course brings together experience and theory, showing how literature, psychology and neuroscience meet through reflection and story.
Theoretical understanding is threaded through the learning, allowing insight to arise naturally rather than being taught separately.
Across twelve modules, you engage with readings, conversation and processes that strengthen both insight and practice. Alongside this, you begin to develop confidence in shaping bibliotherapy sessions with presence, care and attention.
12 × 90-minute learning modules
Certificate of Completion
Comprehensive course notes (one-year access)
Post-course reflection activities to embed understanding
One-to-one individual follow-up session
Free Graduate Gatherings via Zoom for ongoing connection
Early Bird prices available for in-person
Small classes: 5 (minimum) – 10 (maximum) participants
Invitation to Collaborate
I am available for keynote presentations, workshops, panels, in-house training, webinars and tailored conversations for organisations, conferences and communities.
My speaking style is warm, engaging and grounded in more than twenty years of work at the intersection of literature, wellbeing and reflective practice.
If you would like to explore a speaking engagement or a bespoke workshop for your organisation, you are welcome to get in touch.