BIBLIOTHERAPY IN MENTAL HEALTH

Bibliotherapy is a technique that utilizes the reading of literature. The belief that reading can affect an individual’s attitudes, feelings, and behavior is as old as reading itself.Bibliotherapy involves the reading of selected literature, planned and conducted as a treatment procedure with therapeutic objectives.It is not an esoteric technique, but is founded upon an acknowledgment of the dynamic process that takes place within the reader.

In the professional literature, Bibliotherapy is usually defined in terms of its objectives.The objectives of the technique and the values attributed to it are numerous,thus creating many definitions. For example,it has been defined as a “technique for the development of wholesome principles of conduct and the prevention of delinquency …” (Kircher, 1966), or “the prescription of reading materials which will help to develop emotional maturity and nourish and sustain mental health” (Bryan, 1939).Despite the many objectives, all definitions include the reading of literature to achieve specific desired results.