Understanding bibliotherapy: How children’s story books can open the door to healing conversations

Dr Chandra is also a co-developer of Child-Parent Psychotherapy and Associate Director of the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California.

The workshop will teach participants about bibliotherapy, a therapeutic approach that uses books and other forms of literature as a means of therapy. Bibliotherapy harnesses the power of children’s books and how they open doors to healing conversations. Stories have the ability to enter our hearts, to help us feel deeply, to show us that we’re not alone and to help us find the words to talk about things we thought were unspeakable. They can serve as a healing catalyst by helping family members talk about difficult experiences, which if left unspoken might negatively affect relationships and development.

What is Bibliotherapy?

A key learning outcome of Dr. Chandra’s workshop is for participants to understand the core principles of bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic tool that uses the intrinsic emotional and cognitive benefits of literature to address and heal trauma. By engaging in carefully chosen books, children can identify with characters and their struggles can provide a sense of validation and perspective, leading to improved emotional well-being.

The role of Bibliotherapy in Child-Parent Psychotherapy

Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is an evidence-based therapy for young children who have experienced family violence with their caregiver/s. CPP considers how trauma and the caregivers’ relational history affect the caregiver-child relationship and the child’s development. It aims to support and strengthen relationships to help restore and protect the child’s mental health.

Bibliotherapy can be used as a helpful tool in CPP, as it fosters communication and emotional connection between children and their caregiver. Shared reading experiences can open up avenues for discussion, allowing children to express their feelings in a safe environment. In turn, caregivers can better understand their child's emotional world, leading to increased empathy and responsiveness.

An award-winning author: Dr Chandra Ghosh Ippen

As a children’s book author and child psychologist with over 30 years’ experience, Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen combines core trauma concepts and relational therapy concepts with metaphors and endearing characters to create therapeutic stories that promote and support healing from traumatic experiences. Her books address difficult topics including post-traumatic stress, difficult separations, and parental mental health and substance misuse challenges.

Her story, Once I Was Very Very Scared, has reached well over 100,000 families, has been translated into seven languages and has been featured in numerous news stories including on National Public Radio. Her Trinka and Sam disaster series, which was developed in partnership with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has versions in 17 languages and has been freely distributed to over 400,000 families worldwide. It has also been recommended and shared by numerous governmental agencies and large organisations including by the governments of Puerto Rico and Mexico, the Nepalese Ministry of Education, the Peace Corps, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the US Department of Education, and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Agency.

Register for the workshop now to support the children and families you work with

Berry Street welcomes Dr Chandra to Australia to present a workshop as part of Berry Street’s 2023 Infant Mental Health & Wellbeing Training Series. If you are working in the education or health spaces with infants, young children and their families, you can register for the workshop today.