PsychologicalReports, 1991, 68, 306.
O Psychological Reports 1991
BIBLIOTHERAPY REVISITED ' RICHARD J. RIORDAN Department of Counseling and Psychological Services Georgia State University Summary.-Bibliotherapy does not have the kind of research support that was implied in Pardeck's earlier 1990 article in Psychological Reports. Nevertheless, his efforts add precision to the use of this clinical tool. Pardeck's summary of the use of bibliotherapy with children (Pardeck, 1990) may err in the direction of awarding the intervention a scientific respectability it does not have. The use of bibliotherapy far outstrips the tight validating studies supporting its use, and most reviewers of the literature are careful to point this out. Lenkowsky (1987) examined the research by the application (e.g., psychotherapeutic vs didactic). Finding mixed intent of the bibli~thera~eutic results, he concluded that special educators needed to "consider carefully" any claims of therapeutic assistance provided by bibliotherapy in the classroom. In another review, Riordan and Wison (1989) reported mixed results as well as conceptual and design problems in much of the research. They pointed toward behaviorally-based reading materials as meeting "at least minimal empirical validation," but probably because such materials meet design criteria more fluently than sources such as fiction. The irony is that, as Pardeck and the above reviewers point out, some recent survey research shows practitioners use bibliotherapy widely and often. These surveys reflect a heavy reliance on self-help nonfiction (e.g., The Relaxation Response, What Color Is Your Parachute). A common view among practitioners might be that there really does not have to be a "science" of bibliotherapy for it to be effective as a tool or for it to be applied. Therapy by the book is apparently not going to wait for definitive confirmatory data. Nevertheless, even when viewed as only a clinical tool rather than a theoretical approach, bibliotherapy still needs the kind of organizing forces that survey, explicate, and refine its application as Pardeck as done in his article. Some therapists probably use assigned readings routinely. Many of us find colleagues of differing orientations using articles, book chapters, poems, or other references to clardy, instruct, reinforce, or otherwise assist in therapy. The pertinent issue is not really whether bibliotherapy is effective as a separate therapy, but rather what, when, and how it should be used as part of a treatment plan. The sharing of resources, of who is using what and why, and under what conditions, can add precision to the use of bibliotherapy . REFERENCES
LENKOWSKY,R . S. (1987) Bibliotherapy: a review and analysis of the literature. Journal of Special Education, 21, 123-132.
PARDECK, J. T. (1990) Using bibliotherapy in clinical practice with children. Psychological Reports, 67, 1043-1049. & WILSON,L. S. (1989) Bibliotherapy: does it work? Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 506-508.
RIORDAN,R. J.,
Accepted February 8, 1991.
'Address correspondence to Richard J. Riordan, Ph.D., Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303.
O Psychological Reports 1991
BIBLIOTHERAPY REVISITED ' RICHARD J. RIORDAN Department of Counseling and Psychological Services Georgia State University Summary.-Bibliotherapy does not have the kind of research support that was implied in Pardeck's earlier 1990 article in Psychological Reports. Nevertheless, his efforts add precision to the use of this clinical tool. Pardeck's summary of the use of bibliotherapy with children (Pardeck, 1990) may err in the direction of awarding the intervention a scientific respectability it does not have. The use of bibliotherapy far outstrips the tight validating studies supporting its use, and most reviewers of the literature are careful to point this out. Lenkowsky (1987) examined the research by the application (e.g., psychotherapeutic vs didactic). Finding mixed intent of the bibli~thera~eutic results, he concluded that special educators needed to "consider carefully" any claims of therapeutic assistance provided by bibliotherapy in the classroom. In another review, Riordan and Wison (1989) reported mixed results as well as conceptual and design problems in much of the research. They pointed toward behaviorally-based reading materials as meeting "at least minimal empirical validation," but probably because such materials meet design criteria more fluently than sources such as fiction. The irony is that, as Pardeck and the above reviewers point out, some recent survey research shows practitioners use bibliotherapy widely and often. These surveys reflect a heavy reliance on self-help nonfiction (e.g., The Relaxation Response, What Color Is Your Parachute). A common view among practitioners might be that there really does not have to be a "science" of bibliotherapy for it to be effective as a tool or for it to be applied. Therapy by the book is apparently not going to wait for definitive confirmatory data. Nevertheless, even when viewed as only a clinical tool rather than a theoretical approach, bibliotherapy still needs the kind of organizing forces that survey, explicate, and refine its application as Pardeck as done in his article. Some therapists probably use assigned readings routinely. Many of us find colleagues of differing orientations using articles, book chapters, poems, or other references to clardy, instruct, reinforce, or otherwise assist in therapy. The pertinent issue is not really whether bibliotherapy is effective as a separate therapy, but rather what, when, and how it should be used as part of a treatment plan. The sharing of resources, of who is using what and why, and under what conditions, can add precision to the use of bibliotherapy . REFERENCES
LENKOWSKY,R . S. (1987) Bibliotherapy: a review and analysis of the literature. Journal of Special Education, 21, 123-132.
PARDECK, J. T. (1990) Using bibliotherapy in clinical practice with children. Psychological Reports, 67, 1043-1049. & WILSON,L. S. (1989) Bibliotherapy: does it work? Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 506-508.
RIORDAN,R. J.,
Accepted February 8, 1991.
'Address correspondence to Richard J. Riordan, Ph.D., Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303.
