Important Considerations and Cautions when using Bibliotherapy:

1. Although books can be used with all ages and for dozens of situations, Bibliotherapy is not a panacea!
2. No two people react to the same book in exactly the same way. It’s often a good idea to acknowledge this openly with the target reader/listener
3. The tool on this website serves as a guide for best practice; ultimately the decision to use or not use a book rests with the clinical judgment of the helper. Book choice is as individual as are people’s reactions to books.
4. Know your book and know your client before you make a recommendation. If you are offering a book suggestion without having read it first, be very clear about that limitation and encourage feedback
5. Helpers must be familiar enough with the reader/listener to anticipate the state of reader/listener readiness
6. Helpers must be sensitive to cultural, ethnic and religious messages in material. See “10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism” (http://www.birchlane.davis.ca.us/library/10quick.htm)
7. Insure that factual material is accurate and up to date
8. Utilize stories with characters and situations similar enough to facilitate some level of identification on the part of the reader/listener
9. The BET was developed primarily for imaginative literature (e.g., prose fiction, poetry, picture books) targeted to child and adolescent audiences. Use those criteria that are appropriate for the materials you have in hand.
10. Although the majority of the books in the data bank are for children and young adults, many books, including picture books, lend themselves to use with adults in a variety of situations and settings