Bibliotherapy Research Articles

Social skills training through poetry therapy: A group intervention with schizophrenic patients

Schizophrenia impairs the development of psychosocial skills needed for the useful, independent living, social functioning, occupational skills, and self-care. While medication can reduce psychosis, drug side effects and compliance in patients with schizophrenia is a problem. Often with this population, it is necessary to integrate psychosocial treatments which aim to enhance interpersonal and social functioning. The focus of this paper is on a psychosocial intervention (group therapy) that introduced specific social skills to patients through the use of poetry. The intervention took place in a large state psychiatric facility.

Poetry therapy: An investigation of a multidimensional clinical model

The tripartite practice model for poetry therapy developed by Mazza (2003) is composed of receptive/prescriptive, expressive/creative, and symbolic/ceremonial modes (RES). The structure of this model was investigated by means of an online survey of therapists across disciplines. Analysis of the data collected supported the components of the RES as a suitable framework for describing the range of language arts-based methods used therapeutically, and for classification of therapists in relation to this application.

A content analysis of poems most frequently utilized by poetry therapists

The selection of literature for use in a poetry therapy intervention is one of the most difficult issues faced by poetry therapists. A variety of authors have published suggested guidelines for the selection of poetic material; however, there is a paucity of research indicating whether or not poetry therapists are actually consulting such guidelines when selecting the material utilized in a poetry therapy intervention. The intent of this research is to examine the literature that is commonly used in poetry therapy interventions. A list of the poems most frequently used in poetry therapy interventions will be analyzed to determine if the poems meet the guidelines set forth by Hynes and Hynes-Berry. Results indicate that the most frequently used poems vary in the degree to which the Hynes and Hynes-Berry criteria are met.

Drums and Poems: An Intervention Promoting Empathic Connection and Literacy in Children

Expressive therapies can be used with groups of children to increase empathy and reduce bullying and violence. When educators feel pressured to focus on standardized tests and basic skills, there is little attention and time for such programs. Drums and Poems is an intervention that counselors and teachers can use to address these problems by teaching literacy skills and empathic connection-building skills simultaneously. Group leaders incorporate relational–cultural theory (RCT) and elements of music and poetry therapy in a preventive group intervention for at-risk 7- to 9-year olds. They focus on the empathic process as children create poems as a group, supporting the RCT aspects of the intervention. This article includes an explanation of the Drums and Poems technique and the relational concepts that inform it, introducing the concept of empowered belonging. The use of relational–cultural concepts such as empathy, power-with, relational images, and controlling images are explained.

Poetry, Masculinities, and Disability

All persons with new disabilities must grieve and mourn aspects of their own identity, and engage in the process of re-authoring and developing new conceptions of self and living. This is particularly true for men whose identities are often anchored by traditional conceptions and traits of hegemonic masculinity, which often make seeking and receiving help difficult for many men. As an alternative to traditional methods of talk therapy, the expressive arts and expressive arts therapies have been important in helping people with disabilities increase their social inclusion and overall wellness. While poetry therapy has been frequently utilized with men, little has been written about working with men as men in poetry therapy. This research incorporates gender and masculinity studies to support the therapeutic possibility that men who have experienced disabling conditions may develop positive conceptions of themselves as men via means of self-expression that go beyond traditional therapy.

GROUP COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND BIBLIOTHERAPY FOR HOARDING: A PILOT TRIAL

Group cognitive behavioral treatments (GCBTs) for hoarding have produced modest benefits. The current study examined whether the outcomes of a specialized GCBT improve upon bibliotherapy (BIB) for hoarding, as part of a stepped care model. We also explored whether additional home assistance enhanced GCBT outcomes. Hoarding patients (n = 38) were randomized and completed one of three conditions: (1) GCBT with nonclinician home assistants (GCBT+HA; N = 11), (2) GCBT without HA (CGBT; N = 14), and (3) BIB (N = 13). All GCBT participants received 20 weekly group sessions and four home visits by a group co-therapist. GCBT+HA groups received four additional visits by a nonclinician coach. BIB participants were assigned a self-help book describing specific skills to reduce hoarding over the 20-week period. All participants were assessed by self-report at baseline, mid-treatment, and posttreatment. The sample averaged 57 years old and was mainly female, White, highly educated, employed, and living alone. GCBT+HA and GCBT participants showed significant reductions on hoarding and depression symptoms, whereas BIB did not. GCBT+HA and GCBT benefited substantially and similarly on the saving inventory-revised (reductions of 29.9 and 23.3%, respectively) and SI-R (Saving Inventory-Revised) (reductions of 26.5 and 25.4%), whereas BIB participants showed very limited improvement (9% reduction) on both measures. This study provides support for the efficacy of GCBT for hoarding. The effect of adding nonclinician home assistance was not significant in this small sample. BIB was not sufficient to improve hoarding symptoms. The findings have implications for a stepped care model for treating hoarding (e.g., the benefits of psycho-education via BIB, added benefits of extra in-home visits) and suggest the need to further examine the role of in-home hoarding coaches.

Song to Self: Promoting a Therapeutic Dialogue with High-Risk Youths Through Poetry and Popular Music

This article presents the implementation of a specialized poetry therapy intervention that incorporated hip-hop and rap music with high-risk youths. The use of this popular musician group work supported these young people's use of self-disclosure. The intervention also involved creative writing as a means of encouraging connection and self-expression among an often difficult-to-engage population.

The use of poetry in reconciling unfinished business near end-of-life

The focus of this case study is on the use of poetry to reconcile unfinished business with a young adult female diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer during her hospital admission for severe cancer treatment side effects. The therapy consisted of a sequence of patient reflection, processing, and action. The patient's reflection resulted in the creation of four short poems that were processed for meaning and emotional content leading to the delineation of unfinished business and a plan of action. Overall, poetry therapy became a catalyst for self-exploration and addressing difficult subject matter allowing the patient to engage in meaningful work during her hospital stay.

Issues in creative arts therapy research: An interview with Lynn Kapitan, Ph.D., ATR-BC

In this interview, Lynn Kapitan, PhD, ATR-BC, recent Past President of the American Art Therapy Association, talks about issues in creative arts therapy research relevant to poetry therapy that are addressed in her book, Introduction To Art Therapy Research (Kapitan, 2010).

Poetry therapy, men and masculinities

Therapists have long utilized poetry with various at risk male populations. Yet, in spite of its use, therapists have also been aware of the dilemmas associated with using poetry in a population whose behavior and identity may at times run counter to the core tenants of poetry therapy. However, the literature of poetry therapy does not fully explore what therapists need to know about men and masculinities in order to work with them. This article helps prepare therapists using poetry to become more sensitive to gender issues and utilize this understanding in their practice with men. It explores some of the key concepts from gender and masculinities studies and provides examples for how these concepts can be used in practice.

Poetry and aphasia: A clinical outlook

Aphasia is a neurogenic communicative disorder characterized by difficulty in producing or comprehending language. A multidisciplinary approach to aphasia treatment and recovery is essential in preserving and enhancing self-expression and language. The aim of this article is to provide a theoretical framework for poetry therapy as a complementary method for improving aphasic rehabilitation. Poetry is a medium which can help to develop the communicative and artistic abilities in a person with aphasia.

Mood disorders and poetry: Archaeology of the self

The focus of this article is on poetry therapy as a readily accessible resource about mood disorders. An examination of poems that reveal each writer's ability to explore moods with a particular focus on the experience of depression is presented. The creating and sharing of these poems has benefits for both writers and readers in terms of witnessing mood, understanding the inner life, and healing. As such, poetry therapy is well suited as an archaeology of the self which is vital in the treatment of depression. It is also argued that there is a distinct need for the inclusion of poetry therapy as part of the repertoire of support for those who suffer from depression.

Poetry of witness, survivor silence, and the healing use of the poetic

The focus of this article is on the intersections of poetry of witness, survivor silence, and the healing use of the poetic. The article begins with the classic anthology of poetry of witness by Carolyn Forché. The second section turns from testimony to survivor silence and the transformative role of witnessing. The third section looks at poetry of witness as a healing resource for poetry therapy to help hold atrocity with compassion and awareness. The final section presents for its heuristic value, a case example of a workshop on “nurturing the peacemaker” that the author facilitated for a Buddhist community engaged with witnessing for peace and justice.

Teaching Group Drumming to Mental Health Professionals

The author John Updike is quoted as saying “What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the spirit.” Over the past 10 years, there has been a growing recognition of the healing and restorative power of the arts. Music, art, poetry, and movement therapy are commonly being introduced into healthcare settings. An organization, the Society for the Arts in Healthcare (www.sah.org), has been formed to demonstrate the valuable role that the arts can play in enhancing the healing process. The Society also provides resources and education to healthcare and arts professionals and encourages and supports research on the beneficial effects of the arts in healthcare. In the column this month, Ping Ho and her colleagues describe an innovative program at UCLA where drumming was taught to mental health professionals who, in turn, were encouraged to bring drumming to public school classrooms in underserved areas. The evidence described below suggests that the mental health professionals were receptive to education and roughly a third of those who went through the training, in turn, offered a program to clients in the school. — MJK There is strong evidence from the field of psychoneuroimmunology that stress reduction and social support improve health and resistance to disease. 1,2 Ping Ho and colleagues recently completed a study that focused on the use of drumming in a Los Angeles public school with low-income children. They reported that group drumming, integrated with activities from group counseling, led to significant improvements in a wide spectrum of social-emotional behaviors. 3 Significant reductions in the intervention group compared to controls were found in overall problem behavior and in behaviors reflective of specific problems, such as withdrawn/depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositionaldefiance,andsluggishcognitive tempo. In this study, a school counselor with no music experience was used to deliver the intervention that was designed to accommodate an entire classroom of children, including children with special needs and abilities. Curious as to whether it was possible to educate a group of health professionals on the use of the drumming program, the research team sought support from integrative health advocate Remo Belli (founder and CEO of Remo, Inc) that enabled them to offer free professional development training to an entire division of mental health professionals largely serving elementary youth in underperforming schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District—the second largest school district in the nation. The training took place over a period of two

The National Association for Poetry Therapy 30th anniversary celebration: Voices and visions

A convocation of voices is assembled in this article, chronicling the development of the National Association for Poetry Therapy as the creative arts organization that represents those who apply poetic literature for artistic expression, personal growth, and therapeutic purposes.

A poetry therapy model for the literature classroom

The focus of this article is on a poetry therapy model for literature instructors. This model is based on poetry therapy models used by Nicholas Mazza and Arleen Hynes, but also borrows strategies from Alvin Mahrer's experiential therapy and Richard Kopp's metaphor therapy. The model includes a supportive/empathic phase, a response/examination phase, an action/application phase, and culminates with a creative phase where students create their own artistic project in response to a chosen poem. This approach to teaching poetry encourages students to locate potentials, form new goals, productively cope with negative experiences, and reevaluate their relationships.

Evaluating the use of poetry to reduce signs of depression, anxiety and stress in Iranian female students

The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness of group poetry intervention on signs of depression, anxiety and stress in female undergraduate students in Iran. A sample of 29 participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention ( n = 14) or a no intervention group ( n = 15). The intervention group took part in seven sessions of group poetry therapy of 90–120 min duration each while the no intervention group was put on a waiting list. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) before the intervention and after second, fifth and the last session. Results showed that the use of poetry as an intervention technique plays a significant role in reducing signs of depression, anxiety and reported stress. This confirms previous research. Results are discussed in terms of the viability of poetry as a possible therapeutic method in alleviating depressive and anxiety related disorders considering some important characteristics of the Iranian culture.

Recon Mission: Familiarizing veterans with their changed emotional landscape through poetry therapy

Trauma needs containment and recognition in order to be handled, and this project enabled the soldier to do both through the use of writing and poetry. This paper is based on the qualitative findings of an 18-month long poetry therapy group conducted in a veteran's center, and follows the progress of the veterans as they learned to use writing and poetry to focus on the present and reconnect to a broad spectrum of emotions they had been trained to suppress. The paper describes the theory behind the exercises and their impact on the veterans.

Poets-behind-bars: A creative “righting” project for prisoners and poetry therapists-in-training

Poets-Behind-Bars is an unique long-distance writing program created for prisoners of Indiana State Prison (maximum security), in which 12 poetry therapy trainees of The Creative Righting Center became mentors to 12 poets-behind-bars. Inmates participated in a research study to assess changes in personal growth, emotional balance, and increased self-expression over a period of a year and a half, during which they completed 18 assignments. This project has a dual purpose: (1) to enhance the personal growth and emotional balance of inmates through literature and writing, and (2) to enhance the skills of poetry therapy trainees.

State of poetry therapy research (review)

The goal of this article is to give an overview of the state of poetry therapy research, thus offering a basis for designing and carrying out optimized study projects and contributing to the further establishment of poetry therapy. Database research was carried out using Amed, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, Psycinfo and Psyindex. The search words used were ‘poetry therapy’, ‘therapeutic writing’ and ‘writing therapy’. The studies were classified according to country, subject, publication date and level of evidence-based medicine. A total of 1129 entries were found, 203 of which were used for this analysis. The majority of the studies were conducted in the United States in the fields of psychiatry and psychology. Investigative activities reached the highest levels in the period from 1999 to 2010. Most of the studies corresponded to level 5 on the scale of evidence-based medicine. The findings show that poetry therapy is already more established and documented in the United States than in other countries. The greatest amount of experience has been collected in the fields of psychiatry and psychology. Studies in other areas (e.g. oncology), however, point to future ranges of application. The rising levels of interest over the past 10 years in poetry therapy and its scientific establishment have encouraged additional research projects for which appropriate evaluation methods need to be developed.