In bibliotherapy we use books to counsel people. Librarians do not perform therapy, their role is to counsel their users in order to help them achieve enhanced knowledge and insight into their personal struggles. Therefore a more appropriate way of describing this process is bibliocounselling. This master's thesis examined the role of bibliotherapy (bibliocounselling) as a way of helping grieving parents, and the role librarians have in bibliotherapy (bibliocounselling) for grieving parents. Interviews with grieving parents, librarians, and psychotherapists revealed that bibliotherapy can be an effective intervention for grieving parents. By reading and discussing books in a group setting, grieving parents identify with the literary characters and their emotions, reflect on their problems and possible solutions, and take comfort in knowing they are not alone in their suffering. Librarians may participate in bibliocounselling only as a part of a bibliocounselling team in cooperation with other experts. Librarians who wish to participate in bibliocounselling for grieving parents must gain additional knowledge about grief, group leadership, and counselling. Librarians can participate in the beginning stages of this process. Their role is to choose and recommend literature, to lead the literary discussion about the book, and help prepare and perform activities. However, librarians are not qualified to lead the discussion about the personal experiences of the participants, therefore a trained counsellor should lead the continuation of the process.
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