Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy is a concept with a vast array of definitions and applications. The many different definitions of bibliotherapy range from those coming from a medical–clinical view to those coming from a developmental–preventive view. Bibliotherapy represents a simple idea—the use of books to help individuals in need. Bibliotherapy is a method by which an individual undergoing emotional stress, anxiety, or maladjustment can seek therapy by reading selected books in which main characters are experiencing problems the same as or similar to those of the reader. This entry discusses the historical foundations of bibliotherapy and how it applies to communicative disorders.