In these unprecedented, stressful and downright strange times, we need bibliotherapy more than ever; never before have we been in the situation en-mass where we have so much time to focus on ourselves, and yet our mental health is exponentially worse.  However, as always, Brampton Library is here to support you in any way we can, and we are delighted to announce our curated online bibliotherapy collection!

What exactly is bibliotherapy?  Well, the good news is that if you’re a reader, you probably engage in some form of it already!  Put simply, bibliotherapy is using books to reflect upon our own problems and issues and start to examine ways to heal and combat them.  Literature allows you to identify with characters and problems in a book and relate them to your own life, which helps you to to deal with frustrations and explore alternative solutions you may not have previously considered; reading and becoming involved in the unfolding story helps you reach deeper levels of understanding about yourself and you can start to make positive changes to your behavior.

Beyond helping to heal problems and issues and exploring potential solutions, bibliotherapy helps in lots of other ways.  Firstly, simply the act of reading helps to occupy your mind and help you forget about all your worries for a while.  Secondly, reading allows reflection, granting you the time and space to look beyond your current situation and put it into perspective.  Finally, with a Brampton Library card, bibliotherapy is completely free!

You’re ready to start self-bibliotherapy, so how do you get started?  We have a few tips to help you maximise your experience:

• Choose a book from our curated eBook shelves that grabs your attention.
• Read the book, and choose moments to reflect on your experiences, how you handled them, and how you will handle them in the future.
• Do any ‘homework’ your chosen title suggests e.g. if you pick a book on meditation - start meditating!
• Buy a notebook or journal to reflect about your chosen books.
• Remember, life is too short to force yourself to finish a book; if the book just isn't interesting to you, return it and grab another!

Finally, how do you access our bibliotherapy titles?  We are delighted to announce our bibliotherapy virtual shelves: Bibliotherapy for Mature Minds, or Bibliotherapy for Teenagers, and Bibliotherapy for Young Minds.

Simply click on the link, browse the titles and download from CloudLibrary to read!  If you have not accessed CloudLibrary before, or you need a refresher, you can view our informative video on how to get started.

To download a title from our enormous selection of ebooks, you need a library card, but anyone in Ontario can apply for our Brampton Library card, and it’s completely free!  Not a member yet? Register for a library card.