Bibliotherapy is an innovative therapy that utilizes books
and storytelling to help children cope with life. Trained volunteers read
to young patients in the hospital to promote emotional healing, calm fears
about being in the hospital, confront changes in appearance or ability,
and most importantly, to have fun.
Bibliotherapy Program Goals
Enhance the healing process
Foster family-centered care
Promote cognitive development and learning
Stimulate creativity and imagination
Develop positive attitudes toward books
Bibliotherapy is a safe haven
Reading aloud to children in a group or holding a child quietly in your
lap helps young patients escape from the noises and activity surrounding
them in the hospital. Reading is an interactive process with opportunities
for quiet discussion, laughter, singing, and even sharing a secret.
Bibliotherapy is child-centered
The needs of our patients form the foundation of each bibliotherapy session.
Trained volunteers use books to help patients identify with characters
in stories and connect the world of books to their own lives. Through
reading and discussion, children can gain positive insights into their
situations and discover new problem-solving techniques. Just as important,
bibliotherapy and reading provide companionship and friendship for patients.
Bibliotherapy promotes literacy
Many of the children we serve at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Hospital for Rehabilitation have had limited experience with books. The
Bibliotherapy Program introduces these children to the touch, the feel,
and the sounds of stories for the first time. With bibliotherapy, we can
begin to promote literacy, cognitive development, and positive attitudes
toward books, which are key elements in fostering learning.
The Bibliotherapy Program provides even more
In addition to reading with patients, the program offers a variety of
other services to children, families, and staff. A book cart, circulated
on patient care units, allows older children and families to select books
and magazines and return them to a book drop at their convenience.
We encourage families to read to their children and offer
assistance in choosing appropriate books.
Our Family Resource Center supports families as they cope
with their child’s illness or disability.
Interdepartmental connections encourage collaboration among
staff members, including those from social work, psychology, and nursing.
Volunteer Program Training
The Bibliotherapy Program holds extensive volunteer training sessions
annually, and offers continued training on a variety of related topics
throughout the year. Training includes the use of puppets, story hours
and audiovisuals. Once trained, volunteers schedule individual reading
times at their convenience. Logbooks track patient information and aid
in program evaluation.
The Bibliotherapy Program succeeds
The Bibliotherapy Program has been successful in providing reading opportunities
to children and their families during inpatient stays at the Cleveland
Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. The program has served
as a model for similar programs, has been presented at national conferences,
and has trained hundreds of volunteers.
For more information or a tour of the Children’s Library,
please call the Early Childhood Education Department at (216) 721-5400.
