On the potential of bibliotherapy to heal the psyche

Recent works on bibliotherapy have demonstrated the hidden benefits of such therapy, yet much remains undisclosed. In bibliotherapy, the therapist employs various symbols and practices special techniques that include creative processes. The purpose of this study is to characterize the quality of bibliotherapy with children by observing reading and writing processes and examining their impact on children. The research utilized the patient’s story texts and illustrations, in addition to analysis of the vignette based on bibliotherapy and psychoanalytic theories. The study revealed that using reading and writing processes in therapy might assisted the patient. Bibliotherapy affords a creative and literary space wherein the individual touches on both covert and overt materials of the psyche and processes them. The implications of this research are related to the use of reading and writing processes in therapy. Another possible application is related to the use of bibliotherapy in an educational context, for the empowerment of children. This study¹ examines the nature of bibliotherapy in children. As such, it raises questions concerning the use of reading and writing processes, the bibliotherapy technique, and the power of the therapeutic relationship to promote mental development. Therefore, the methodology guiding this study was based on bibliotherapy and literary theories, in addition to a case study of therapy with an emotionally challenged child. The results of this study showed that although use of reading and writing processes might at times arouse resistance among children in the latency stage, by using suitable mediation in a nonjudgmental space the patient may be assisted by them. When this happens, bibliotherapy affords a creative and literary space wherein the individual touches on both covert and overt materials of the psyche and processes them.