Bibliotherapy is a nondirective counseling method that counselors and therapists use as a supportive method in a clinical setting. This presentation focuses on the use of reading in nonclinical contexts, where it is called guided reading, directed reading, reading advice, or bibliocounseling. This type of bibliotherapy, also called developmental bibliotherapy, is aimed at the healthy part of the personality, whereby what is read can trigger changes in an individual’s life or the content read has a preventive effect. In schools, developmental bibliotherapy is an alternative way of presenting current life challenges that children and adolescents face because it allows them to gain insight into the experiences of others and establishes a model for dealing with hardships and challenges. In developmental bibliotherapy, one can use literature with moral dilemmas, an indepth psychological approach, real characters of people, or diverse cultural backgrounds, taking into account gender representation. Reading literature allows identification with characters, and consequently emotional involvement, and it stimulates individuals’ personal growth.
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