Bibliotherapy for Teens

Over the past month or so, there has been a lot of talk about bibliotherapy for teens, specifically in an article published in School Library Journal, dealing with “tough” topics including depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD and more.  It’s a wonderful way to connect kids to realistic characters that are dealing with these bigger issues and maybe even offer a way for kids to talk about issues they are facing in their own lives personally, through friends or family.
Although bibliotherapy is not a mainstream method for addressing mental illness, many professionals can agree that it can help in therapy allowing teens to “gain insight, on the problem-solving and coping skills of the characters, subsequently applying this learning to their own lives.”
I’m hoping to pass this amazing list of YA titles on to our young adult librarian in the hopes that she can put together a display for our teens.  If we can help a few teens in our library, if it means opening their eyes to the wide range of mental illnesses that people suffer from throughout the world, I think we will have succeeded.