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The application of developmental bibliotherapy in children’s libraries

(a 60-lesson accredited programme)
Made by: Éva Bartos, Judit Horváth, Katalin Magyar-Fekete (Hungary)
The objective of the of extension training course:
To integrate a procedure, well-established in international practice, into the work of Hungarian children’s libraries by making the participants acquainted with the theory and history of bibliotherapy and preparing them for leading bibliotherapy groups, for acquiring greater competence in mental health services. After refreshing and enhancing their knowledge (in aesthetics, literary theory, psychology of art, psychology in general and children’s psychology in special, history of reading and pedagogy) the students will take part in practical training in self-knowledge, communication and empathy and will be offered skills in group leading. The course will reveal the opportunities of developmental bibliotherapy in the field of both reading development and personal development. The knowledge to be acquired will make the librarians’ work more versatile and differentiated, higher-standard and target-oriented.
Primary target group:
those employed as children’s librarians full-time
Other target groups:
those who deal with library services to children and youth part-time
Curriculum
  1. Introduction to art theory (4 lessons theory plus 2 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to refresh and complement the students’ knowledge in aesthetics, literary theory and the psychology of art serving as a foundation bibliotherapy / Contents: The special features of communicating art, The impact of art works, the psychology of the reception of art, The special features of literary works, Implied psychological mechanisms in literary works / Methods: lecture, joint analysis of works of art
  1. Reading and personality (4 lessons theory plus 2 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to make students aware of the impact of reading (or being read to) on personality development / Contents: The functions of reading, The psychology of childhood and youth The importance of tales in personality development Children’s literature / Methods: lecture, individual analysis of tales
  1. Historical overview (6 lessons theory)
/ Objective: to present the phases of the spontaneous and conscious reception of art in communities / Contents: The history of reading The emergence of bibliotherapy Self-help, self-healing by reading / Methods: lecture, presentation of examples
  1. The theory of bibliotherapy (6 lessons theory)
/ Objective: to provide basic knowledge about bibliotherapy / Contents: The concept of bibliotherapy Clinical and developmental bibliotherapy Comparison of these two branches (objectives, groups, tools, methods etc.) Effectiveness and competence. Ethical aspects / Methods: lecture, analysis of special literature
  1. The practice of bibliotherapy (6 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to define the place of the bibliotherapeutic process between psychotherapy and the didactics of literature teaching / Contents: New trends in literature teaching at schools The players of developmental bibliotherapy: the target group, the literary work, the group leader (therapist) Preparation, implementation and evaluation of the developmental bibliotherapy process / Methods: after preparatory training group discussion of experiences
  1. Self-knowledge, skills development (2 lessons theory plus 4 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to gain better self-knowledge and to study one’s impact on others / Contents: The special features of mental health assistance services Self-knowledge as the basis of providing assistance Games to get acquainted with each other, self-assessment by questionnaire, the special features of behaviour / Methods: after preparatory training interactive work
  1. Communication, development of empathy (2 lessons theory plus 4 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to develop communication and empathy skills / Contents: Communication, metacommunication, empathy – definition of concepts Improving the skills to establish and maintain relations, enhancing successful interpersonal communication Preparing and evaluating communication questionnaires, analysis of uni- and bilateral communication using situation games / Methods: preparation and evaluation of questionnaires, analysis of the videorecordings of games
  1. The pedagogy and social psychology of group leading (2 lessons theory plus 4 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to provide methods for independent bibliotherapeutic work / Contents: The theory and practice of group leading Indirect guidance, active attention, the role of the facilitator, increasing the acceptance field etc. / Methods: situation practices, testing of recommended methods
  1. Drama pedagogy and developmental bibliotherapy (2 lessons theory plus 4 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to facilitate communication between young people, to reduce tension in the groups by indirect, playful forms / Contents: Application of drama pedagogy to get introverted and problem children communicate and relax Demonstration and analysis of conflict situations in families and at school / Methods: presenting the techniques, drama playing using the elements of traditional drama pedagogy and psychodrama, subsequent analysis
  1. The application of developmental bibliotherapy in libraries (2 lessons theory plus 4 lessons practice)
/ Objective: to complement the tools of librarians and to enrich their quality by applying new procedures / Contents: The specialities of reader services in children’s and school libraries Developmental bibliotherapy as a tool of reading development and personality development / Methods: presentation and joint evaluation of individually prepared plans for a bibliotherapeutic group work