New for Spring 2024, GSLIS will offer a course on Bibliotherapy (7903), taught by Bibliotherapist and Psychotherapist, Emely Rumble, LCSW, who is the private practice owner of LiterapyNYC. The class will be held synchronously online Wednesdays 6:40 - 9:15pm.

This course examines the history, methods, tools, and clinical practices of incorporating the use of literature, poetry, and expressive writing into healing practice. The course will teach a brief history of bibliotherapy as a modality that uses literature as a tool to promote mental health and overall wellness. Students will consider their role as information professionals in prescribing books to meet the emotional needs of patrons by assessing intersectional identity, reading style, genre preferences, and more.

Students in this course will have the opportunity to both study bibliotherapy as a treatment modality, as well as curate their own book prescriptions for patrons based on unique case studies spanning the human life cycle stages. They will learn techniques to engage and speak with patrons about emotional challenges, book match based on a patron’s unique needs and intersectional identity, and confidently curate a list of go to texts for different life ailments in the tradition of bibliotherapy.

• Students completing this course will be able to: 

• Understand, define, and explain to others what bibliotherapy is and how it supports treatment goals for patrons in therapy or those who are seeking self-healing practice support.

• Explain the science behind how literature benefits emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

• Discuss the process of book matching, conducting a reading intake, and pairing an individual with the right book to support their reading and/or therapy goals.

• Explain the difference between clinical and developmental bibliotherapy.