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What is Bibliotherapy?

Bibliotherapy is the use of fiction and poetry to support and increase positive outcomes for people with mental health and wellbeing issues.

Benefits include:

• alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety

• increase self-esteem and  improve social skills and concentration

David Chamberlain  (LKS Manager) set up a reading group with Psychiatric Nursing and Occupational Therapy support on two Older Adult Psychiatric Wards. Both ran for 10 weeks, with themed topics and there were over 80 participants. It was so successful the same model was run on a different hospital site and the group is planned to run yearly.

Comments from patients include:

“Re-kindled my passion for reading”

“We’re all in this together – reading and analysing the poetry”

“Did her the world of good – normally she doesn’t say anything, she opened right up after the war poems in the evening and had us all enthralled for 2 hours”

Happy Cafes

Working with the 4ward team the Library and Knowledge Services are running poetry groups for people to join.

These consist of 4ward themed poems and are aimed at lifting the mood

Download Poems

Download supporting leaflet

Reading to Patients has been set up as a service between the Chaplaincy service at the Alexandra Hospital and Worcestershire Health Libraries. It consists of trained volunteers going on to the ward and, with the agreement of the patients, reading aloud to them. The content is completely decided by the patient.

Storytelling is at the heart of the initiative. This is sometimes known as bibliotherapy, which has many benefits including:

• helping to improve communication and make a  connection with patients

• encouraging reminiscence in people with dementia

David Chamberlain  (LKS Manager) worked with the Chaplain and ten volunteers in setting up, training and supporting volunteers. Download a leaflet.

Download the 2019 book.

Reading with patients

Picture: Helen Birkenshaw, one of the Chaplaincy volunteers reading to a patient.

To find our more contact:

David Chamberlain LKS Manager 01905 760601, David.Chamberlain2@nhs.net