Online Bibliotherapy: Rain Before Rainbows & What Happened When the World Stops

Comfort and Consolation in Rhyme and Reason (Purpose)

In times of challenges, changes and conflict, we can turn to stories and poems for solace, comfort and consolation. Selection of the appropriate literature is key. When we read, engage and share the literature with a companion, a friend, a mentor the experience becomes more meaningful.

1. Welcome students (and teachers) to the session - Ms Zarah and Ms Sheila

2. Presentation of Story / Poem: Rain Before Rainbows or What Happened When We All Stopped

• Reading aloud of Rain Before Rainbows or Viewing of What Happened When We All Stopped

3. Engagement: 3-2-1 Sanacore Method plus 1 more

Identify THREE important details and summarize them. Record (write, draw, doodle, make a mind map) TWO things that are of interest to you. Write ONE question about the poem/story Share with a group your #2 and #3 output.  Anyone in the group can  respond to #3 LISTEN. REFLECT. RESPOND. LISTEN SOME MORE

IV. Taking Action / Follow Through

• Make a collage using photos and an app. Write something about it. Choose a theme for your collage. It can be about family, friendship or any topic you wish to explore and develop.
• Choose a photo and use a photo editing app to write a poem. You can share this with friends and family through social media.
• Visit Poetry Magnet and write a poem.
• Make a banner or a poster of your favorite poem, quote or dialogue of an inspirational book or movie character.
• Explore found poetry, black out poetry and magnetic poetry by visiting the recommended websites and online resources 

V.  Share. Share. Share.

Sharing is caring. :-) 

Bibliotherapy Guide and Module: Storytelling for Growth and Healing - Framework for a Bibliotherapy Session

A.      Pre-reading / During Reading / Post Reading

Pre-reading -          Establish rapport -          Set reading and listening reminders -          Introduce the book or the story -          Opening activity (one that is related to the story): song, word games, play	Bibliotherapy Process -          Gain the trust and confidence of the young reader / listener.
During Reading -          Plenary storytelling / viewing of short movie (for big group) -          Read aloud (small group) -          Ask questions that prompts identification, prediction, inferencing and imagination or wonder (focus on characters and how they respond to plot and other charcacters)	Bibliotherapy Process -          Identification -          Catharsis -          Insight
Post Reading -          Art activity that show insight of young reader / listener -          Writing or art activity that will lead to taking action or follow through activity -          Song, music and movement as taking action	Bibliotherapy Process -          Identification -          Catharsis -          Insight -          Taking Action -          Follow Through

B.      3-2-1 Framework by Sanacore, 2012

·         Choice ·         Time  ·         Reading Responses ·         Making Connections

1.       Identify THREE important details and summarize them. 2.       Record TWO things that are of interest to the reader. 3.       Write ONE question about the text/story

Sanacore’s Framework is ideal for a one-on-one session or a small group session of three to five students. Nevertheless, a partner of the bibliotehrapist/storyteller is needed to anecdote the responses of the young readers and listeners.

  

Bibliotherapy Guide and Module: Storytelling for Growth and Healing - Bibliotherapy Sampler and Tool Kit

Before presenting samplers, activities and the approach into a bibliotherapy session, there are three basic points to remember when one is preparing for a bibliotherapy session. Teacher, writer and guidance counselor Theres Pelias, in her research on bibliotherapy in 2005, provides these reminders:

●     Read. Nothing beats a personal knowledge of the story.

●     Identify significant parts of the story that echoes your own feelings and thoughts.

●     Be keen with connections you know the student/reader can make with the selection on hand.

                For school librarians, Keri McCaffrey (2016) has this to say:

●     Develop a comprehensive bibliotherapy list – inclusive of all literary types, genre and media format.

●     Accompany the book list or directory with displays of books.

●     Create information on mental health and wellness books.

●     Create programming with children and teens that address difficult issues and foster learning in a safe environment.

                Resources for bibliotherapy are very important. This is why, in cooperation with librarian friends in the Southern Tagalog Region, we have started collecting and curating titles of books recommended by teachers, parents, writers and concerned professionals. The link to the online form can be accessed here:  https://forms.gle/EGX8mheEc2cKvZvz8

                The librarians involved in this project will be in-charge of the development of a Philippine Bibliotherapy Resource Center (PBRC). This establishment of the PBRC is an online directory and database. Inspired by the many initiatives of librarians, artists, cultural workers and storytellers working and helping evacuation center personnel, staff and volunteers in Batangas, the PBRC includes art, play, music and movement resources.  It has three guidelines for recommending books, activities and resources.

1. Our readers and learners are children in the K-3 grade levels. Consider their development stages in reading and information processing.

2. Our target readers and learners are children from Batangas who are affected by the eruption of Taal volcano. Context matters!

3. Universal themes such as hope, perseverance, kindness and the like are just as important as the readers’ context and developmental stages. Your recommended books and resources can go beyond topics and concepts on natural disasters, displacement, loss, and evacuation.

Here are seven easy to do starter tips for planning and preparing for a bibliotherapy session:

·         * Focus on your purpose: a bibliotherapist is a companion, a listener and a guide.

·         * Select a story that is appropriate for the occasion and purpose of the bibliotherapy session.

·         * Determine objectives and anticipate responses of young readers/listeners of your session.

·        * Follow the 3 steps plus 2 when planning: identification, catharsis, insight + taking action and follow through

·         * Assess and evaluate the bibliotherapy session by reviewing and reflecting the objectives after its conduct.

·         * Anecdote and document as you go. This can also be done by a partner. Needless to say, your preparation and planning can be approached through group or team effort. Composition of team: Storyteller; Scribe; Facilitator/s; Logistics and Operations

BIbliotherapy Guide and Module: Storytelling for Growth and Healing - Reading Guidance, Reading Advisory and School Library Services

In school library services and programming, the conduct of reading guidance and reading advisory is part and parcel of the expected job output.  

Readers’ Advisory is a fundamental library service where librarians and libraries recommend and suggest books and other reading materials that meet the interests of readers. It is also conducted by bookstores and reading clubs. Information Communications Technology (ICT) tools can greatly support the dissemination of Readers’ Advisory lists, directories and titles curated from the collection. 

Not to be confused with guided reading, a teaching strategy applied by teachers, Reading Guidance is a library service of recommending books and reading materials that is directed to a specific group with an identified need or information problem.  It is at this juncture where bibliotherapy services and programs in school libraries, or even public libraries, find its place.

The American Library Association (ALA) adopted this definition of Bibliotherapy from Webster’s  Dictionary Third International Edition: “ the use of selected reading materials as therapeutic adjuncts in medicine and psychiatry; also, guidance in the solution of personal problems through directed reading.”

Definitions of bibliotherapy as contextualized in the school setting are as follows:

                Bibliotherapy is the provision of health  information and support through books (Brewster, 2008).

                Bibliotherapy is the method for helping human beings in emotional distress. Books are the specific modality, but may also cover films, picture books and oral storytelling (Cargo, 2005).

                Bibliotherapy is a strategy that helps students overcome or deal with current problem(s) or issue(s) in their lives (Stamps, 2003).

                Bibliotherapy is a method of using literature to help students understand themselves and cope with problems relevant to their personal situations and developmental needs (Herbert and Kent, 2000).

Notable findings of research on Bibliotherapy are identified below:

Bibliotherapy has a significant effect in the self-esteem of abandoned children in Children of Joy         Foundation,             Calamba Laguna. Children experienced identification, catharsis and taking        insight in the     bibliotherapy process. (J. Macheca, et. al. 2014.)

 Bibliotherapy is a valuable technique for preventing problems during childhood. (Pardeck, 1990)

 Bibliotherapy...helps promote attitudes of respect and acceptance in inclusive environments. (Kramer, 1999)

 Effective for boys since they have challenges verbalizing their feelings and may be better at solving problems through a third person approach. Characters in books serve as role models for them and help bright boys reflect topics that require analysis of a problem in a safe environment.

( T. Herbert, 1991)

Bibliotherapy with aggressive children in the school setting is effective. It can be applied by

by teachers and counselors in the reduction of aggression and power, and in the enhancement of empathy and self-control. (Shechtman, 2016)

Children’s books affect a child’s theory of mind – an understanding of the mental state of others… discussion of books read aloud to a child positively impacts a child’s

ability to empathize. (Solow and Owens, 2018)

Bibliotherapy Guide and Module: Storytelling for Growth and Healing - Bibliotherapy Through the Years

The use of books and stories for therapy go a long way back to ancient times when a library in Thebes held the sign saying that it is a place for one to restore one’s soul. Thinkers of long ago have recognized the value of books and literature for one’s well-being. The idea that books, literature and places where it can be accessed, such as the library, contribute to a person’s growth, mindset and emotional health is as old as humanity itself. Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Father of American Psychiatry (1811) recommended the use of books and reading materials as additional treatment for patients and clients in his clinic. In 1916, Samuel Crothers, a minister who was concerned with the response and the reaction of readers to a piece of literature defined bibliotherapy as a technique of bringing troubled persons and books together (Wooton, 2017). 

After World War I and II, mental health clinics and hospital facilities with psychiatric services in the US and in Europe opened medical libraries for the research and conduct of bibliotherapy.  Medical librarians would prescribe books and reading materials as companion therapy for patients who survived war and conflict. The Menninger Clinic, particularly, ventured into the research, study and practice of Clinical Bibliotherapy.

Further research in the history of bibliotherapy shows a nun, Sister Mary Agnes, used literature as a way to reach into children and their developmental issues. Books and stories were used to assist young readers in the understanding of their own problems and not as tools to teach morals and values. Dr. Caroline Shrodes, a psychiatrist, was the one responsible for laying down the process of bibliotherapy as akin to psychonanalysis. She identified three steps in the process namely, identification, catharsis and insight. By 1970, practitioners in the field of psychology, child development and education developed a growing interest in bibliotherapy. Rhea Joyce Rubins published a book, Using Bibliotherapy: A Guide to Theory and Practice where three different kinds of bibliotherapy were identified. These are Institutional Bibliotherapy, Clinical Bibliotherapy and Developmental Bibliotherapy.

It is the later kind, which is Developmental Bibliotherapy, that school librarians can be involved in various ways.

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.

My Passion Project: Bibliotherapy (V18-19)

Bibliotherapy Service in the School Library

One delightful discovery I had in my recent PAASCU visit to San Beda College's Integrated Basic Education Library was the Bibliotherapy Services that the school librarians conduct for their high school students. The service is part of the formation program of the Office of the Student Services that include the Guidance department and the Formation and Spirituality team. The Bibliotherapy Service was started out by Mr. Richard Sarmiento who attended my workshop on BiblioCare in Sagada in 2014. The workshop was part of the summer conference which the MUNPARLAS Librarians Association organised for its member libraries and other interested librarians from all over the Philippines.

Though Mr. Sarmiento has left San Beda, the school librarians in the high school level continue on with the service, coordinating with the formation and guidance departments. While the basic foundations of the Bibliotherapy process is kept in practice by the librarians, there are new additions to the procedure that make it a "Bedan" program. This only goes to show that innovation and creativity are actualised through collaborative work and community effort.

Having witnessed the Bibliotherapy Service as a viable strategy to help young adult learners reflect on their actions and realise their potentials for growth, I surge to revisit my existing works and writings on Bibliotherapy surfaced. Here are links of my Bibliotherapy materials and resources I have developed over the years.

Interviews on Bibliotherapy

Interview by Librarian Kevin  - Bibliotherapy 101 for school librarians

Special Education and Bibliotherapy Part 1 (2016)
Special Education and Bibliotherapy Part 2 (2016)
Special Education and Bibliotherapy Part 3 (2016)

Bibliotherapy on LibRadio and a Philippine Based Research on Bibliotherapy (2014)

For the record, it was the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL) who first dared and put their stake to have me as speaker and workshop facilitator on Bibliotherapy. This was back in 2010. The presentation slides I used can be accessed via my SlideShare Page. A year after, PAARL invited me again to broaden the coverage of Bibliotherapy as a readers' services program. The half-day workshop became a modular training on library prescription shop and bibliotherapy services for a whole day's session.

From then on until today, I had been conducting workshops on Bibliotherapy.

I facilitated a two workshops on  Bibliotherapy at the Gurong Kaakbay Conference (2011 and 2012), the PASLI Summer Conference in Baguio City (2011), the IASL Annual Conference in Bali, Indonesia (2013), BiblioCare Workshop in Sagada (2014), and the Quezon City Public Library Bibliotherapy Workshop (2016)

Materials and resources on Bibliotherapy in the school setting

PowerPoint Slides on Bibliotherapy (Stories and Storytelling for Growth and Healing)
Worksheets on Bibliotherapy (Handouts and worksheets)
Adamson University Library's Start Up Bibliotherapy Collection (Collection Development)
The Reading Passport as Bibliotherapy Tool (Reading into Writing)
Bibliotherapy for Out of School Youths (Young Adult Library Services)

There are plenty more write ups in the blog's archive. I have only selected the more important ones. If anything, the experience at San Beda College in Alabang has inspired me to reactivate this service beyond collection development in my library. Who knows, a new academic paper or even a program may come out from this rumination and reflection.

Bulletin Board Displays: Digital Citizenship and A Growth Mindset

We are pushing through mid-term now and everyone is as busy as a bee. The first set of advisory letters have all been sent out two weeks ago and we had our Parent Teacher Conference last Saturday. We are in full swing. Academic Year 2017-2018, the honeymoon is over.

The excitement and positive energy that came at the beginning of the year is slowly waning for some. There are peaks and valleys in academic progress of students and everyone is tired, or stressed, or confused. Let's get real and not deny ourselves this very human reaction to the rigors of teaching and learning in an IB School.

And I take it that these dips in the process of learning happens to all school or learning community.

What to do?

Call on grit and perseverance.

It is a matter of mindset.

One that recognizes failures and mistakes as opportunities for growth.

And then, rise up.

However, some are a bit slower than the rest. That is where team work and compassion come in. No one should be left behind in teaching and learning for we are all accountable for each other. And the library is pitching in.

Our library's bulletin board at the start of the year took on the theme of a growth mindset. See the photo above.

Inspired by the researches and works of Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset) and Angela Duckworth (Grit), a growth mindset is a proactive way to rise above the difficulties of life in general and face the challenges of every day. Remember the old saying, it's all in the mind, or what you conceive in the mind you achieve in real life? That is putting it simply but the core of a growth mindset is strength of character that is built overtime. A growth mindset is found in the formative teaching and learning experiences designed by teachers for the students. It is also about giving students feedback. Coaching. Mentoring. Allowing them to make mistakes and giving them ample time to reflect.

As we cross the threshold of the dip, we will soon replace the bulletin board's quotes with new ones that are more applicable for the needs of the community. And yes, we will be putting out and displaying books to accompany the theme. There goes your bibliotherapy services!

Day 2 of the MUNPARLAS Bibliocare Sagada Conference

If Day 1 was pretty exciting, Day 2 was even more because of two things: Jaime Bautista and Bomodok Falls.

Darrel Marco was host for the day and he kicked off day 2 with an "endearing" activity for everyone. As it was the second day of the conference, almost everyone knows each other by name and affiliation. So, Darrel used this situation to deepen the experience and develop stronger friendship among participants, speakers and MUNPARLAS Officers. Each of us had a paper taped on our backs. We wrote positive impressions on the paper round robin style. It was affirming to read the wonderful words of appreciation, gratitude and affirmation. What a great way to start the conference!

Apparently, MUNPARLAS President Ann Grace Bansig opened the conference on Day 2 with the topic on Endearing Library Services to the Public. As an example of an endearing library service, she presented the Book Mobile Project of De La Salle Zobel. Now on its 5th year, the project has been a success because of collaborative planning with DLSZ's Outreach Department. By partnering with The Fernando Zobel Foundation, DLSZ librarians and its social action staff, are able to deliver books and literacy services to public school students in Cavite and Batangas provinces.

After her session, Jaime Bautista, comic book writer and publisher came next. HE. IS. AMAZING! He opened his session with a read aloud of book 1 of Private Iris, complete with voice projection and facial expressions. This Xaverian loves his work indeed that it no longer seems to look like work for him! He explained how comics and its creation can lend to Bibliotherapy. As an art form, comic touches on the feelings and the senses of young readers and this experience provide for an avenue of mirroring and self expression. When Mr. Bautista started drawing and telling at the same time, I was floored! I asked for his drawing, his autograph and a note for my daughter from him as she is a fan of Private Iris.

How lucky were the participants to meet him! He is now booked for school visits till 2015!

I was next after the comic book session. I continued what I started out in Day 1 and presented a variety of strategies and programs on Developmental Bibliotherapy for kids and teens. After lunch, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan presented bibliotherapy activities for adults and older readers. Being the last speaker, he gave out certificates to the participants along side the MUNPARLAS President and Vice President.

We did end early on the second day. Bomodok Falls was waiting for us!

Day 1 of the MUNPARLAS Bibliocare Sagada Conference

There was no Internet connectivity in Sagada the three days we were there. It was impossible for me to blog and live blog events as they unfold. Good thing there's mobile technology and it has allowed me to post status updates on our trips, tours and ongoing sessions with the speakers. So, I begin Day 1 of the conference and the tours we did in between.

MUNPARLAS rented a chartered bus for the trip going to Sagada. The bus left Manila at nearly 10PM and we were in Baguio at 3AM. Another chartered bus waited for us at Dangwa Station while we got coffee and some light snacks. The route we took was the Benguet - Mt. Province side and not the Bontoc-Banaue route. The Benguet-Mt. Province is the safer route according to Eric Ramos, MUNPARLAS Officer and tour coordinator, who has experience travelling from Manila to Sagada and vice versa. We had only one stop over and it afforded us to take pictures of the mountain side and the beautiful sunrise. The air was cool, but the sun shining above the mountains warmed our bones. A promise of good things to come!

When we arrived in Sagada at 9AM, it was the same place I remembered it to be. Well, except for a few changes like the Chico River looking small and dredge out; Masferre restaurant has upgraded their deli shop and a piano is in place in one corner of the restaurant (I should really bring my family up in Sagada, one of these summers); the old bell in front of the Episcopalian Church is now fenced in; the Municipal Hall has an ATM machine; and souvenir shops increased in number in the Poblacion. Apart from these, Sagada is the Sagada I fell in love with in 2010.

Photo courtesy of Darrel Marco, 2014

After getting a room in St. Joseph's Resthouse, we had an hour of rest and from there, the adventure began!

First timers took the path to Sumaguing Cave while second timers rode the jeep top load style. It was like a roller coaster ride! When the participants emerged out of the cave, one of them, Darrel Marco of Xavier School Nuvali told us, "Now I know why you didn't go caving for the second time, Ms. Z!" While it was a life affirming experience the first time I went down to Sumaguing, I will not repeat the same experience again. To finish off the tour, we visited the Potter's Place and Lake Danum.

That night, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan arrived and we headed out to the Yougurt House for Dinner. It was my first time there. The place is quaint and comfortable. The food serving is generous and the company of friends is warm and welcoming. At 10PM, it was lights off for all of us. We were all anxious for Day 1 of the conference.

Day 1 began with a welcome message from Coun. Edward Umamin who shared his dreams of seeing a library set up in Sagada. He brushed on some problems with tourism, but emphasized that Sagada will always welcome librarians for the municipality is very much in need of community development and cultural workers. This made me think of the kind of tourism we do in the country. There should be more of the tours and trips offered by local tourism offices. A cultural experience of the place must be in the tourism program as well. And yes, libraries are needed to do this tourism service.

MUNPARLAS gave books to Coun. Umamin as donated by Marlene Aguilar. From there, input sessions started with Joseph Yap of DLSU Taft as the first speaker.

Coun. Edward Umamin was happy to receive book donations
from MUNPARALS President, Ann Grace Bansig and VP Marivic Silencio

Mr. Yap presented possibilities of developing an online developmental bibliotherapy list or bibliography. He showed samples from foreign models. Surely, we need a Philippine counterpart as this will promote not just the books, but the content of our culture, identity and heritage. He devised an online submission form of bibliographic data on books and resources applicable for developmental bibliotherapy.

Next to speak was Mr. Jay Diola, librarian of DLS Zobel. He discussed concepts and theories that justify a developmental bibliotherapy program in the 21st century environment. I like his presentation on the digital natives and the digital migrants and how libraries and librarians can reach out to them.

At my session, participants do a bibliotherapy group session

After his talk, I was next. In my session, I started with the concept on Reading as an interactive process and that readers are capable of responding to reading. I followed it with a bibliotherapy session using a poem, Pied Beauty, by Gerard Manly Hopkins as translated into Filipino by Fr. Bert Alejo SJ and ended it with Katy Perry's Fireworks. (Yes, what a combination!). I finished my session with UNESCO's Life Skills as the basis for a bibliotherapy program. So there. Bibliotherapy can be seen as a process as well as a program.

The last speaker was Dr. Luis Gatmaitan who gave a thorough explanation of the theories behind bibliotherapy by merging his practice of medicine with his exemplary writing accomplishments. He showed how his books are bibliotherapuetic in nature and how, as librarians, we can develop a collection that will heal the mind, the body and the soul.

That's Day 1 of the Bibliocare Sagada conference. Day 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Eden and Veverly, librarians from Iloilo and early registrants.
I gave them a copy of my book as early birds in the conference.