Wirral librarian becomes one of the country’s first trained bibliotherapists

Jan 6 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

A WIRRAL librarian has become one of the country’s first trained bibliotherapists.

Julie Barkway, a project worker for The Reader Organisation’s Get Into Reading initiative based at West Kirby Library, has successfully completed a new, two year part-time Masters degree ‘Reading in Practice’ at the University of Liverpool.

Julie, who is one of only 15 people in Britain to have undertaken training of this kind, said the basic premise of bibliotherapy is to provide health information and support using books.

She says: “It includes the one to one service of book recommendations, provision of self-help materials plus weekly reading group meetings to discuss books or poetry to stimulate discussion of feelings and issues.

“Research is ongoing to provide a solid measure of the impact that reading can have on people’s health but, as bibliotherapy gains more attention nationally, it is good to know that a lot of the work will have begun here in Wirral.”