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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Bibliotherapy

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A voracious reader knows that there is nothing better than curling up with a good book and letting the author transport her to the world he has crafted with just his words. Forgetting the real world’s problems for a few moments and becoming the brave heroine or the adventurous explorer can allow the reader to escape her troubles. However, this is usually thought of as a temporary reprieve or a respite for the reader who may be dealing with deeper, emotional troubles. And what if that reader is a child, coping with the difficult changes that life often brings, such as the death of a loved one or the recent divorce of her parents? Reading can be more than a temporary distraction for the younger reader; it can be a type of therapy to help her through these difficult experiences. Bibliotherapy, the process of using stories or books to help people understand and accept difficult times in their lives, can help children navigate challenging experiences such as their parents’ divorce, the death of a loved one, and living in foster care
Bibliotherapy has a full and rich history that dates back to ancient Greece where libraries were considered sacred places of healing, but the term did not come about until much later (“Bibliotherapy”). The term “Bibliotherapy” was used for the first time in a 1916 article in The Atlantic Monthly. Author Samuel McChord Carothers tells of visiting with an acquaintance, referred to only as Dr. Bagster, who ran a “Biblio-therapeutic” clinic where he

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