Category: I Came from a Book’s Literature Therapy Program

Because of the possible preventative benefits of bibliotherapy, schools are one of the ideal places to implement such a program to improve the overall mental health of a country. Schools not only impact the greatest portion of the population and already teaching literature but are also places that are attempting to prepare students for life Teachers are constantly searching for ways to control children who come from diverse backgrounds and behaviors. Heath, Young and Smith explained that through bibliotherapy teachers can use stories to build foundations that influence children’s behavior instead of merely trying to control students. They explain, “Good stories hold the power to change how we think and how we feel. By helping change the way children think and feel, the behavior change is self-initiated from the inside out.” This places schools in the ideal situation to reap the benefits of bibliotherapy.

Debbie McCulliss explained, “Bibliotherapy has been described as a means of allowing children a safe way of confronting dilemmas. Through bibliotherapy, ‘‘children have an opportunity to identify, to compensate, and to relive in a controlled manner a problem that they are aware of’.” [Bibliotherapy is like] prevention of a disease and suggests that, because books help a child develop his or her self-concept, the child will be better adjusted to trying situations in the future.”

Teacher Training

Ideally, in cooperation with the workshops, teachers will receive training about how to implement bibliotherapy in the classroom so that the students can continue to benefit from the practices of bibliotherapy and so that the principles will be continually reinforced to them. Teacher training sessions will vary greatly depending on the group being presented to. Ideally, in addition to attending a teacher training session, teachers will also be present during workshops with the students to observe what the students are being taught and the process they are learning. The teacher training should cover the following topics: how bibliotherapy works in the classroom, the process of bibliotherapy in the classroom and the benefits.

How Literature Therapy Works in the Classroom

Heath, Smith and Young explained that, “The basis for bibliotherapy is grounded in principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): what we think and how we feel impacts our behavior. Hence, rather than expecting teachers to focus on merely controlling students’ behavior, we propose using stories to build a strong foundation…that will positively influence children’s behavior. Good stories hold the power to change how we think and how we feel. By helping change the way children think and feel, the behavior change is self-initiated from the inside out.”[1] This is the basis for how bibliotherapy works in the classroom. It is designed to change the way students think and ultimately affect behavior.

McCulliss and Chamberlain explained the outcomes that teachers should look for in bibliotherapy in the classroom:

1. Showing an individual that he or she is not the first or only person to encounter such a problem
2. Showing an individual that there is more than one solution to a problem
3. Helping a person discuss a problem more freely
4. Helping an individual plan a constructive course of action to solve a problem
5. Developing an individual’s self-concept
6. Relieving emotional or mental pressure
7. Fostering an individual’s honest self-appraisal
8. Providing a way for a person to find interests outside of self
9. Increasing the individual’s understanding of human behavior or motivations

The Process of Bibliotherapy in the Classroom

The process of bibliotherapy as described previously by McCulliss and Chamberlain can also be applied in the classroom:

1. identification of the reader’s issue(s)
2. pre-reading; selection of book(s) to match the reader’s needs
3. presentation that includes guided reading based on a carefully planned approach
4. follow-up on what the reader learned or gained from reading the book(s)

McCulliss and Chamberlain continued to describe the process with which bibliotherapy can be implemented specifically in a classroom setting, following the steps in the process listed above.

• When working with a large group, such as a whole class of students, if can be difficult to pick a specific issue for the whole group. Teachers should focus on the most common issues that are likely to affect the age group they are teaching. For example: anxiety, trouble with friends, dealing with failure, etc.

• Teachers should refer to and be given the book selection guidelines that are presented in the Literature Therapy Workshops section when selecting books.

• The teacher should teach themes and topics from the novel as they would usually do in the curriculum when teaching literature with a special emphasis on themes and situations in the book that the children can apply to their immediate lives. The most beneficial stage of bibliotherapy is in the follow-up stage when the children work through these topics for themselves.

The follow-up process should be completed in groups which has many advantages over an individual approach in the classroom including:

• It is less time consuming
• Allows students to share common experience with less anxiety
• Students experience a sense of belonging and security
• Everyone has the opportunity to develop different perspectives and new understandings

According to Joanne Bernstein (1983): Children, through reading, realize that others share their plight …their feelings are within the range of normality. When children feel less isolated, they lose some of their embarrassment about their situation.

The follow-up stage should include an age appropriate interactive or thought-provoking activity such as:

• Commenting on illustrations or main characters
• Creative writing (writing a solution to a problem situation, writing an opinion about a certain viewpoint, or writing a letter to a character)
• Art projects (sketching, painting, drawing, or creating a collage from pictures from a magazine to create a pictorial essay)
• Drama (role-playing, puppetry, or pantomiming)
• Journal writing (compare decisions the characters made with what they would do)

McCulliss and Chamberlain emphasized that “activities are based on the age level of the child and what the child needs to take from the story. No matter what activity the teacher chooses, the child needs to be able to identify their problem with the story and express the identification through the activity.”

Benefits of Literature Therapy in the Classroom

McCulliss emphasized some of the main benefits and intended outcomes of bibliotherapy in the classroom:

1. Enhanced self-concept
   1. Increased self-expression
   1. Relief from emotional stress
   1. Increased understanding of personal or generic human behavior or motivation
   1. More honest self-appraisal
   1. Discovery of others with similar problems or situations (sense of belonging)
   1. Realization of the variety of potential solutions
   1. Plan for finding a workable solution to identified problems

The main goal of implementing bibliotherapy in the classroom was expressed by the children’s author Bruce Colville:

“The right story at the right moment is an arrow to the heart. It can find and catch what is hiding inside the reader (or the listener), the secret hurt or anger or need that lies waiting, aching to be brought to the surface.”

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References

Melissa Allen Heath, Kathryn Smith, Ellie L. Young. “Using Children’s Literature to Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning.” 2017.

D. McCulliss and D. Chamberlain. “Bibliotherapy for youth and adolescents: School-based application and research.” 2013.

The goal of the third workshop is to leave the students with the resources and desires to continue using reading as a resource throughout their lives. Because of this goal, the third workshop is the most flexible and adaptable. A more in-depth conversation on literature therapy should be included but depending on the age of the group and focus of previous workshops this can take on various forms.

            The third workshop may include a follow-up discussion on topics discussed previously or a continuation of small group discussions. These activities should only be continued if the Bridger of Worlds feels they are necessary because the students were cut short in their discussion. It is not necessary to continue just to fill time.

            The third workshop can be used to encourage the students to continue using reading as a resource in several different ways:

1. It can include a few final thoughts on the selected book (whether the students have finished it or not) and further discussion on the benefits of reading on mental health. Depending on the group the Bridger of Worlds can focus more on the benefits of reading or more heavily on mental health.
2. If literature therapy is going to be implemented in the classroom following the workshops, the third workshop can be used as a springboard for the continued discussion that will occur in the classroom.
3. If the student organization, I Grew into a Book Club is going to be organized at the school, the third workshop can be used as an introduction to the club and offer resources to continue that program.

            Reasons for Reading Talk

            The main discussion of the third workshop should be the Reasons for Reading Talk which can include discussion on the following:

1. Benefits of bibliotherapy
2. Process of bibliotherapy
3. Continuing bibliotherapy in our lives

The goal of the second workshop is to allow students the opportunity to talk about the selected book. Depending on the age group, size and dynamic of the group this can be done in various ways:

1. In very small groups, the Bridger of Worlds, may direct the discussion amongst the whole group. This may be ideal for groups of younger children.
2. In most situations, the class should be broken up into smaller groups. Depending on the age of the group, you may place a teacher or Bridger of Worlds in each group to guide the students. With certain groups, however, it may help for students to operate the groups independently. With discretion, allow the students to form their own groups so that they feel comfortable with whom they are talking to. The groups may depend on which books the students selected if various books were selected.

If needed, certain topics from the first workshop can be discussed during the second.       

            Group discussion

McCulliss and Chamberlain outlined examples of how teacher led and student led discussion can be run:

Specific questions can be asked by an adult to help children explore a story and its characters and how they relate to the reader:

1. Are you like any of the story’s characters?
2. Do any of the characters remind you of someone?
3. Who would you like to be in the story?
4. Is there anything you would like to change about the story?
5. How would you change the characters, what happened, or how the story ended?
6. What is your favorite part of the story?
7. Did anything in the story ever happen to you?
8. What do you think will happen to the characters in this story tomorrow, in a few weeks, or a year from now?

Literature circles are small student-led discussion groups in which group members have selected the same book to read participate/contribute in discussion and share highlights of the discussion with their entire class. Teachers may ask students to complete various roles that include:

1. connector (one who makes connections between the reading and their own lives, the world, or other readings and texts)
2. questioner (one who lists important questions about the text to use during the discussion)
3. passage master (one who locates sections of the text that are most interesting, important, and puzzling that the group should look back on)
4. vocabulary enricher (one who identifies important, interesting, puzzling, or unfamiliar words that group members need to understand)
5. illustrator (one who creates a picture, diagram, or flowchart related to the reading that may be directly related to the text or something the text reminded the person of)

Literature circles encourage authentic student-led discussion and interactions rather than the more common, teacher-centered question-and-answer exchanges.[

            Depending on the length of the workshop, the Bridger of Worlds may invite students to switch groups, lead a discussion among all the students at the beginning or end of the workshop or integrate other activities throughout the workshop. Remember that the main objective of the workshop is to give the students the opportunity to talk and practice the process of bibliotherapy.

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References

D. McCulliss and D. Chamberlain. “Bibliotherapy for youth and adolescents: School-based application and research.” 2013.[

The goal of the first workshop is for the students to understand what anxiety is, how it feels and how they would recognize it in themselves and others. The most important part of this workshop is that students understand anxiety. Feel free to focus on this point as long as it seems necessary. If the students are active participants and willing to talk about anxiety, try your best not to cut the conversation short. It is important that the students have the opportunity to discuss anxiety, even if it means that reading groups are not introduced in the first workshop. Remember, adaptability and individualized content is important in education.

The second part, and smaller portion, of the first workshop is to introduce the benefits of bibliotherapy and discuss book selection. The goal of this section is:

1. That the students have a clear idea how bibliotherapy works
2. That the students understand the benefits of bibliotherapy
3. That they know what they are looking for when reading the book selected

Although it is important that the students understand the objectives, this portion is merely an introduction to literature therapy which will be discussed more in-depth in the third workshop. The main objective of this introduction to literature therapy is that the students get the most out of their experience reading the selected book between the first and second workshop. If they do not understand why they are reading the selected book, they will not benefit as much as they will if they understand how literature therapy works.

            It is necessary that the workshop ends with the selection of a book so that the students can begin reading the book before the second workshop. This process can be very short or a more engaged process with the students depending on the group. The selection of a book can happen in many different ways. In all options, make sure that the book or books are approved by the school in advanced.

1. A book can be pre-picked before the workshop begins. In this option, the book will be chosen by the Bridger of Worlds with advice from the teacher based on the age group of the class and any specific instructions given by the teacher. In this case, the books should be ordered in advance and distributed to the students on the day of the workshop. With large classes of students this is the most likely option.
2. Several books can be brought to the workshop and a discussion can be had with the students about the different stories and topics in each book. Depending on the decision of the teacher and Bridger of Worlds, following the discussion, one book can be chosen for all the students, or each student can pick one of the options and be divided into small groups depending on their choice of book. In this case, the proper number of each book can be delivered to the school the week following the workshop. For most groups, this is the ideal option.
3. In certain cases, following a more in-depth discussion about bibliotherapy and book selection, each student can pick their own book after the workshop. In this case, ensure that the teacher follows up with the students the following week to ensure that each student has an appropriate book. In this instant, each student would retrieve their book selection themselves from the library or home. This option has advantages for both large and small groups of students. In the case of large groups, depending on the discretion of the Bridger of Worlds and teacher, it may be beneficial for each student to pick their own book to allow for a more individualized approach, or if the group is too large for I Came from a Book to secure books for every student. The disadvantage of this is that discussion will be more difficult in a large group where every student has read a different book. Students will not be able to form the same connections with each other through the book and less time will be spent talking about each student’s book in the discussion during the second workshop. In small groups, even though each student has a different book, there will be more time for each student to share what they gained from their book and talk about their book selection. It will also be easier for the Bridger of Worlds to focus individualized attention on guiding each student through the topics in their book selection.

            Anxiety Talk

Anxiety Talk will be the first part of the first workshop and will ideally take up the majority of the time. Please note that Anxiety Talk and How Books Help Us Talk can blend together and do not have to be two distinct and separate discussions.

A general outline of topics to be covered during Anxiety Talk is the following:

1. What is anxiety?
2. What does anxiety feel like?
3. Encourage students to share what they believe anxiety feels like or situations where they believe they experience anxiety.
4. Why do we feel anxiety?
5. What is happening biologically when we feel anxious?
6. How can I recognize anxiety?

            How Books Help Us Talk    

            The purpose of the How Books Help Us Talk is to help the students get the most out of the experience of reading their selected book between the first and second workshop. It is essential that throughout the workshops the students have a positive experience reading and feel a connection with the characters, ideas or stories that they are reading. In order to provide a positive experience, the students must understand why they are being asked to read and how bibliotherapy works. That is the purpose of this second section of the first workshop. Depending on the group and book selection process this portion can vary greatly in length. Below are a few suggested topics to cover, but it is up to the Bridger of Worlds to determine what is needed for each group:

1. Discuss the benefits of bibliotherapy
   1. You may begin by allowing students to share any positive (or negative) experiences with reading.
2.  Explain the process of bibliotherapy
   1. Include that the ideal results are that the student will develop a better or new understanding about their own feelings of the feelings of others.
   1. Discuss the opportunity that reading gives us to escape from our current thoughts and the opportunity to connect with thoughts similar to or different from our own.
3. Share your own experience with reading
4. Depending on the book selection process, discuss the topics in the selected book 

The purpose of the literature therapy workshops is for the students to be exposed to the central ideas of literature.

The immediate outcomes are that the students:

1. Understand what anxiety is and are capable of recognizing it within themselves
2. Learn resources and techniques to deal with anxiety and mental illness
3. Understand the process and benefits of literature therapy

In the ideal literature therapy workshop the long-lasting outcomes are that the students:

1. Develop a love of reading
2. Feel connected to others
3. Understand that they are awesome

Literature therapy workshops are the first step in implementing a literature therapy program in a school. They are intended to introduce the process and ideas. A trained I Came from a Book workshop presenter—referred to as Bridger of Worlds because of their role creating connections between the students, the books and the peers—will visit the school over the course of a month and present three different workshop to a class of students. Workshops are presented to a single class at a time. If suited to the school, workshops can be, and are ideally, presented to smaller groups of students with specialized need or desire.

Each workshop has a main goal and suggested outline but it is intended that each Bridger of Worlds will develop their own workshop following closely to the guidelines. This is intended so that each presenter will be extremely familiar with the material that they present and so that the necessary flexibility is allowed and individualized content is encouraged depending on the group. Knowledge, adaptability and individualized content are essential ideas to education. It’s important for the presenter to be extremely well-trained and knowledgeable, but it is even more important that the presenter have the ability to adapt and individualize the program to the specific students which they are presenting to.