Competent Bibliotherapy: Competent Bibliotherapy: Preparing counselors who use literature Preparing counselors who use literature

to be culturally responsiveto be culturally responsive

Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson & Paula Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson & Paula McMillenMcMillen

Oregon State UniversityOregon State University

American Counseling AssociationAmerican Counseling AssociationMontreal, Canada Montreal, Canada

April 2, 2006April 2, 2006

Bibliotherapy Education ProjectBibliotherapy Education Project

The birth of this almost seven-year project began with a cup of coffee and a simple conversation. We pondered about the use of books by various helping professionals.

Spontaneously, we posed two questions to each other,“How do therapists, teachers, or librarians know what books to recommend?” and

“How do they choose and evaluate materials?”…

…the project was born.

BibliotherapyBibliotherapy “a rose by any other name…”“a rose by any other name…”

• (AKA) Known by many names:

• Bilbio-counseling• Biblio-guidance• Biblio-psychology• Book matching• Literatherapy• Library Therapeutics• Literapeutics• Reading Therapy• And many more…

DefiningDefining BibliotheraBibliothera

pypy

Literally involves treatment through books

• Pardeck & Pardeck, 1998

Guided reading of written materials to help the reader grow in self awareness

• Harris & Hodges, 1995

Process of dynamic interaction between the personality of the reader and literature under the guidance of a trained helper

• Shrodes, 1950

BenefitsBenefitsof of

BibliotheraBibliotherapypy

• Provides a Window: increases awareness of and empathetic understanding for other cultures, lifestyles & lived experiences

• Provides a Mirror: increases appreciation of, pride in & identification with one’s own ethnic/cultural identity

• Promotes coping skills• Provides information and alternatives• Stimulates discussion of feelings and ideas• Increases enjoyment of literature and reading

Types of BibliotherapyTypes of Bibliotherapy

• DevelopmentalDevelopmental– The use of literature and facilitative processes by

skilled helpers to assist individuals in dealing with life transitional and normal developmental issues.

• ClinicalClinical– The use of literature and facilitative processes by

skilled mental health or medical clinicians in meeting a deliberate therapeutic goal for the purpose of assisting individuals in dealing with severe disorders and traumatic life experiences (Mazza, 2004).

Therapeutic MechanismsTherapeutic Mechanisms

• All models expand from initial Psychodynamic Model developed by Carolyn Shrodes (1949)

• Four stages or steps– Identification (projection)– Catharsis (abreaction)– Insight (self-awareness)– Universalization

Counselor Stages

• Preparation

• Selection

• Intervention

• Facilitation

• Evaluation

• Follow Up

• Refinement

Implementation Models• Counselor Initiated

– Counselor plays a more facilitative and directive role in selection of therapeutic materials and process for the client

• Interactive– Counselor and Client negotiate materials and

process, there is a mutual give and take

• Client Initiated– Client takes leadership role in therapeutic

processes related to literature

Problem StatementProblem Statement

• Books are widely used in education & mental health settings

• Limited training, tools or strategies for new or experienced helping professionals

• Limited knowledge related to training tools exist

• Limited ability to articulate materials selection criteria to consider when working with clients from diverse backgrounds

• Update collection to include global and multicultural materials

Project Project LandmarkLandmark

ss• Literature review• Electronic evolution• Student collaborations• Teaching curriculum for

graduate counseling students

• Clinical supervision• Ongoing research

Support for Using Multicultural Support for Using Multicultural Literature in BibliotherapyLiterature in Bibliotherapy

• Change attitudes towards under-represented groups (Ford, 2000; Kaplan, 1994)

• Improve ethnic self-identity (Baber, 1992; Erickson, 1966; Ford, 2000; Holman, 1996; Malgady, et al, 1990)

• Improve positive social and problem solving skills (Constantino, et al., 1986)

• Demonstrates respect for the culture (Greenbaum & Holmes, 1983;

Holman, 1996)

And now it’s evaluation time!• Spend 10 minutes going

through the book-• Look at the content,

pictures, subject, characters and plot-

• Discuss the pluses and concerns

• Ask yourselves, is this book applicable for more that one population or is it specific?

• Decide—is it appropriate for use with culturally diverse clients?

Considerations in Selecting Considerations in Selecting Bias-Free Multicultural LiteratureBias-Free Multicultural Literature

• Omission: the most common form of bias• Stereotypes in illustration or text: appearance,

character traits, roles• Diversity within the culture/group (vs. token

representations)• Values and perspectives presented or promoted• Authenticity: consider language, settings, author’s

background

Checking Literature for Cultural Responsiveness

Illustrations • Emotional congruence• Look for stereotypes

– Extreme and subtle• Tokenism. • Analyze roles Story • Standards for success• Resolution of problems • Role of young and grown

women • Beauty or brawn or brainsLifestyles • In costume/ in character

• Characters– Weigh the relationships– Power players

• Heroes and leaders– And the hero is....

• Child's Self-Image – Enhancement, truth or downer

• Author/Illustrator Background – Authenticity

• Author's Perspective – Objectivity and personal context.

• Loaded Words – Offensive and inaccurate

• Copyright Date – Adapted from 10 ways to assess

children’s literature for bias

Analysis time again...Analysis time again...Spend another 5 minutes going

through the book-this time through a more critical lens

• Illustrations • Story • Lifestyles • Characters• Heroes and leaders• Child's Self-Image • Author/Illustrator

Background• Author's Perspective• Loaded Words • Copyright Date

Future Future DirectionsDirections

• Continued usability testing of overall Web site design

• Further development of database search options

• Increase flexibility of site and database structure for ease of maintenance

• Establish ongoing funding mechanisms

• Promote use to librarians and helping professionals to build database of evaluated literature

• Focus creativity & scholarship

Future ProjectsFuture Projects• Create therapist guide• Fund student

assistantships• Focused evaluation

tools• Develop subject based

lists of materials for students

• Create librarian guide• Learning modules for

other courses

LessonLessons s

LearneLearnedd

• There is a growing body of multicultural and global children’s & YA literature

• Some cultures/ groups/ lifestyles are still poorly or minimally represented with quality literature

• Cultural authenticity is a controversial issue in the field—proceed with caution

• No individual is the definitive representative of a culture nor is any single work of literature

Biggest Lessons Learned for Biggest Lessons Learned for Multicultural Literature ChoiceMulticultural Literature Choice

• Always, always, always read the book before recommending it to a client

• No two clients will ever take the same experiences away from the a given work of literature -- for no one has identical psychological and cultural fields

For more resources and information …For more resources and information …

http://bibliotherapy.library.oregonstate.eduhttp://bibliotherapy.library.oregonstate.edu

Dr. Dale-Elizabeth PehrssonDr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrssondale.pehrsson@oregonstate.edu

Phone 541.737-8551Phone 541.737-8551

College of EducationCollege of Education

311 Education Hall311 Education Hall

Oregon State UniversityOregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon 97331Corvallis, Oregon 97331

Dr. Paula McMillenDr. Paula McMillenpaula.mcmillen@oregonstate.edu

Phone 541.737.7272Phone 541.737.7272

Valley LibraryValley Library

Oregon State UniversityOregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon 97331Corvallis, Oregon 97331