Bibliotherapy Guide and Module: Storytelling for Growth and Healing - Introduction

When typhoon Ondoy hit and swept Metro Manila in 2009, my family and I found ourselves relocated in the home of my in-laws in San Pedro, Laguna. It took us a month to get back to our house in Pasig and two more months to fully clean up and rebuild whatever was left from the devastation and the loss. Those three months were trying times, indeed. I look back at how we have survived and risen from the natural disaster. Needless to say, there was an overflowing aide, help and support from family and friends. The typhoon took away many of our material possessions but hope was restored with the generosity and kindness shown by relatives and members of our communities.

It was during that year when I further developed the workshop module on Storytelling for Growth and Healing. I have always believed in the power of stories and storytelling as educative and restorative tools. In stories, we find ourselves. When we encounter a story, especially if it is a good one, we discover our deepest longings. It illuminates our dreams. When stories are told to us by people we know, especially those who belong in our community, they amplify the significance of our human experiences.

The nervous excitement of the first day of school. A visit to the dentist. Getting sick with chicken pox. Being picked last in a football team. Winning in a dance or singing competition. First crush. Watching a concert without a chaperone. Getting in to college. Falling in love. Suffering a broken heart. Learning to trust again.

Stories and storytelling allow us that space to identify and reflect on our feelings against the backdrop of a world and process them into concrete actions. Or at times, leave them as they are and allow the chips to fall where they may.  It is not impossible that in a time of displacement and chaos, such as the recent eruption of Taal volcano, we turn to stories to fill the gaps in our fractured lives. The use of stories and storytelling as designed to alleviate lives affected by conflict and confusion is therapeutic and inspiring.

This guide and module on the use of stories and storytelling is anchored on the beliefs mentioned above. Furthermore, it is designed for parents, teachers, librarians, adults and professionals working with children. This is a product of more than a decade’s work and research on bibliotherapy and a culmination of trainings and workshops on storytelling conducted from 1997 to the present. Bibliotherapy is defined in the guide and a timeline of its development is included for a historical perspective. The bibliotherapy process incorporates art, music and play activities as well as guide questions for young readers and listeners of the selected stories. These are but samplers to the conduct and facilitation of a bibliotherapy session. The “bibliotherapist” is free to make revisions and inclusions in his or her plan. It is advised that a bibliotherapy session be documented as it will merit research in the disciplines of Psychology, Education, Library and Information Science and Social Work.

I intend to distribute this guide and module for free for a period of time. There is no fee in the access of its contents. But, it is under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License.  Please attribute the source and make use of the references mentioned in the guide accordingly.