2.

0 DISCUSS HOW LITERATURE CAN BE USED “TO HEAL” AND DEAL

WITH CHILDREN’S CONCERNS.

Bibliotherapy originated from the Greek words biblion (book) and oepatteid
(healing). Therefore, bibliotherapy simply means the book used for healing
purpose. Bibliotherapy is the use of book for the purpose of to heal mentally ill
patients. In the past, bibliotherapy is used to cope with the mentally ill people and
patient from the mental hospital in order to bring them back to the real life.
Librarian also uses bibliotherapy to help individual in modifying people’s
thoughts, feelings or behaviour. But today, bibliotherapy had widespread it uses.
Educators and counselors often used bibliotherapy to heal and cure the children
and teenagers who faced the emotional and psychological problems. Basically,
bibliotherapy is the process whereby book is used in order to help the children to
think and to understand about the social and emotional better. Besides,
bibliotherapy also can be used to improve and shape the positive behaviour of
the children. This technique had been proven effective in both classroom and for
child therapy purpose. Through reading and listening to story, children can
absorb and relate themselves with the story especially when the story is similar
with their own. According to Reimer and Nodelman (pg. 133-134), children’s
literature should be viewed as the representation of the real life, therefore, by
reading or listening to the story, children are able to experience and deal with
their problems and work out on the solution. This can be the motivation to the
children that they are not alone.

In the classroom, teachers most likely use bibliotherapy to improve

students’ normal health and development. This is one of the ways to ensure the
problem can be prevented before it arises, for example, to avoid the problem of
isolating weaker classmates. Bibliotherapy is important for children in order to
cope with problems and the solutions. Besides, bibliotherapy can stimulate
children’s thought and self awareness. This can help the children to know and
realize that they can express their own feelings and understanding their own self.
This is because, some of the children faced difficulties in determining their own

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identity. Some of them might also feel inferior and dislike their own identity,
background and even their personality. Therefore, bibliotherapy is very important
so that the children can realize that other children have similar problem with them
and hence helping them to solve the problem they faced. This technique help the
children to accept who they are and also help them to empathize the characters
in the story. Besides, there are different varieties of book which can help the
children to cope with and understand the differences between one another such
as differences in culture or ethnic identity. No individual is the definite
representative of the culture, therefore it is important to use bibliotherapy in order
to help the children to appreciate the individual differences. The way we look,
speak and behave are difference from each other. Bibliotherapy is also important
for the children who are being abused, adopted, send to foster care, moving or
even experiencing lost. The technique will help the children to accept every
change that occur in their life and hence help to prevent depression. A novel’s or
a story’s world usually full of hope, therefore, it can help the children to cope with
the loneliness by make them entering the fantasy world. But it is important to let
the children know differences between the real world and the fantasy world to
prevent the children to mix up the real world and the created one.

To use bibliotherapy, first, the teacher or counselor should identify the

problems faced by the children. Teacher or counselor should determine that
whether the children are ready to undergo the healing process. Then, they can
choose the book which meets the children’s healing need. The book that had
been chosen should also match the level of the ability and appropriateness of the
children. Counselors should also make sure that the book should have the
solution for the problem. After that, the teacher or the counselor should either
introduced, present or sharing the content of the book they had chosen. After the
session done, therapist should be do the follow up session in order to discuss
about how the children feel about what they had read and listened. Question
should also being asked and a simple reflection should be made on the material.
From this, children will be able to identify the character and experienced
catharsis, a process whereby the children will be able to release their own

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emotions when they immersed themselves with the character. Hence, the
children will be able to connect their own experience with the characters in the
book. Children might know and realize that they are not the only one who faced
the problem; likewise, they are still many other people around the world who
faced similar challenges and difficulties. Yet, they are still other people who faced
even worst situation than them. Before the bibliotherapy is to be done, the most
important thing is, teacher or counselor should be familiar with the book, and they
should understand it before using it. They should not just blindly use any book
without understanding because it might turn the other way round. For example,
maybe the book that being used is not match with the children’s level of ability. If
the level too hard, the children might not even understand what we are trying to
convey.

For example, the child who is handicap can be exposed to the book on
overcoming physical limitations such as the Diary of Kito Aya: 1 Litre of Tears, a
true story on a teenage girl who diagnosed with spinocellar degeneration disease
which slowly took her ability to walk, talk and eventually move and how she
manage to use every single strength she has to go on her life, overcome her
physical limitation just to make sure that her life was never a regret. The child
could ask to empathize the character; hence, he/she will connect and relate the
situation with their own life. The child will be motivated and they will finally realize
that they are the people who faced even worst condition than they are. In the
end, the child with handicap might try their best to overcome their physical
limitation to continue their life and live with optimistic view. He/she can reflect on
how lucky they are as compare to others.

According to the research that had been done in the bibliotherapy area by
Dr. Joni Richards Bodart, an Instructor in Library and Information Services at the
University of Denver and currently served as Assistant Professor at School of
Library and Information Science at San Jose State University, San Jose,
California, she had identified three steps that children will go through from a
bibliotheraputic process. The three steps are identification, catharsis and insight.

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Research in bibliotherapy area also had shown the improvement of the students
in problem solving skill, ability to identify the appropriate behaviour, the children
personal adjustment, values development, their social skill, reading achievement
and how the children will be able to accept individual differences. According to
Schultheis and Pavlik (Ed 163-493), bibliotherapy can be carried out in two ways,
which are individual and group bibliotherapy. Dr. Bodart found that there are few
common characteristics of bibliotherapy technique which are the students read a
book, teacher allowed for reflection to be carry out, discussion will be conducted
and the interaction after the discussion might help the children to continue reflect
on the materials.

In conclusion, bibliotherapy is a good technique that can be used in the

classroom. By the discussion session, children will be able to develop their
cognitive when they are asked to decide on the trait of the characters and how
they can practice the solution to cope with the problems that arises in their daily
life. Besides, through reading, teacher can also enhance student’s literature
ability and also help them to master reading skill. According to research, the
technique had shown many benefits, therefore, the implementation of
bibliotherapy in classroom will be success.