Competent Bibliotherapy: Preparing counselors who use literature to be culturally responsive Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson & Paula McMillen Oregon State University American Counseling Association Montreal, Canada April 2, 2006

Bibliotherapy 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.

Bibliotherapy “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…

Defining Bibliotherap y 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

Benefits of Bibliotherap y 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 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 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 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 Landmarks Literature review Electronic evolution Student collaborations Teaching curriculum for graduate counseling students Clinical supervision Ongoing research

Support for Using Multicultural Literature 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 Bias-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 brains Lifestyles 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... 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 Directions 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 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

Lessons Learned 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 Multicultural 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 … Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson Phone College of Education 311 Education Hall Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon Dr. Paula McMillen Phone Valley Library Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 97331