How Book Therapy Began - A Personal Journey

I often get asked the story behind Book Therapy. In Q&A format, I've answered the 5 questions I get asked the most below which I hope narrate the Book Therapy story in the most accurate way.

Q: How did you get into bibliotherapy?

A: My journey into bibliotherapy began after completing a part-time diploma in psychodynamic counselling, during which I was also in therapy myself. At the time, I was working in investment banking, having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the University of Warwick in the UK. During my therapy sessions, I noticed a recurring pattern: whenever I explored a personal issue, I instinctively turned to books to better understand the context. My therapist would often recommend books, Greek myths, or simple stories to illustrate key points, and I found this immensely helpful in deepening the therapeutic process. It was then that I realised the profound power of literature as a tool for healing and self-discovery.This realisation sparked my curiosity, and I began delving into research on bibliotherapy. I connected with several leading experts in the field, including Dr. Pirjo Suvilehto, a Finnish bibliotherapist and Doctor of Philosophy and Literature at the University of Oulu and Dr Kelda Green at the University of Liverpool.

Their work further cemented my belief in the transformative power of literature, as well as more historic pioneers of bibliotherapy and therapeutic reading, which, if of interest, you can read about in my recently published book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading.

During this time, I developed a three-step methodology for curating reading lists and selecting books tailored to address a wide range of personal issues, building up a large database of book recommendations across a diverse range of mental health themes from anxiety, depression, mid-life crises, relationships issues, grief, bereavement and many more. These cover fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. (In the book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading, there’s a whole section devoted to some of these reading lists across fiction, nonfiction and poetry, that readers might find helpful.)

When my husband’s job was posted to San Francisco, I decided to leave my role at Deutsche Bank in London and officially launched Book Therapy, a bibliotherapy and literary curation service. Initially, I offered one-on-one bibliotherapy sessions and a personalised book prescription service, which provided curated reading lists without the need for face-to-face sessions.

Over time, I found that clients came to me for a variety of reasons. Some sought therapeutic literature, while others were interested in topics like parenting, career transitions, and even politics, and history. As interest grew, I noticed a demand for self-bibliotherapy techniques. In response, I launched an online course titled Bibliotherapy, Literature & Mental Health. The course has been well-received, not only by individuals seeking personal growth but also by mental health professionals such as counsellors, psychotherapists, life coaches, librarians, and social workers.

It has also inspired corporate workshops and library seminars focused on the healing power of reading. This has further spanned into offerings for parents, teachers, and anyone working with children (librarians, mental health professionals and social workers) including our Children’s Bibliotherapy Skills Online Course, Raising A Reader & Storyteller Course and also our Indian Rasa Theory & Bibliotherapy Course.

Finally, my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading, serves as a culmination of this journey, offering readers tools and insights to embark on their own bibliotherapy journeys. My hope is that it will empower others to harness the transformative potential of literature for their own well-being and growth. .

My book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, NBC News, Marie Claire, Asian Voice and various other publications.  

Q: Were you always an avid reader?

A: I was always a voracious reader when I was younger — growing up in Kenya, East Africa there was only the community library and a few bookstores. Whilst in pre-school in Nairobi, my best bet was the bookstore as the community library offered very little children’s literature. My parents would take me to the bookstore every weekend and we’d buy a new book — I ended up with quite an impressive library and a habit was born. To this day, I continue to buy at least 2 to 3 books a month. I also receive a lot of free books to review. 

Q: How does it work — do you prescribe a range of books to people, from fiction to self-help?

A: The personalised book prescriptions, are based on clients' reading habits, goals, interests and personal needs. Upon purchase, I email my clients a list of specific questions, exploring their reading preferences (i.e. preference for fiction/nonfiction, if there is something specific they are looking for, whether they like to listen to books or read paperbacks or prefer the kindle and also how much time they can devote to reading). Within 48 hours, I prepare a ‘personalised book prescription’, a report setting out the book recommendations. I introduce them to books that explore feelings they might not have understood before — or books that bring new meaning, hope, perspective on an existing situation — or simply books that focus on a niche that they’ve been hoping to explore for a while but never had the time.

I specialise in fiction, creative and narrative nonfiction as well as poetry and philosophy.

I offer unlimited support to all my clients for up to two weeks following the delivery of the book prescription which can be over email or a bibliotherapy session (therapy/coaching using the literature). If you want the books too, you can always opt for the personalised book boxes.

To get a sense of what I prescribe, check out my A-Z of Book Prescriptions for Adults and Children, as well as essays prescribing reading lists for different issues that examine life through literature. Also here's a recent client video testimonial

Q: What sort of people come to you for help? 

A: Mainly men and women between the ages of 20 to 45 years old.  My clients are international: the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Dubai, Russia, Portugal and Ukraine. 

Q: Could you give me five examples of books to read if you are stressed, depressed, getting over a break-up, etc?

A: If you’re feeling stressed, I would suggest poetry, specifically Deborah Alma’s The Emergency Poet — an anti-stress poetry anthology, it’s the perfect way to slow the mind, bring us in the here and now so we can pause, re-energise, feel a sense of calm and re-boot.

If you’re feeling depressed, my go-to books are: Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (Fiction) and Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy (Non-fiction) — The Bell Jar provides extraordinary access to the mind of someone who is depressed, validating their feelings. Raw, and insightful, the book empathises and provides cathartic relief to the depressed reader. For something lighter, Furiously Happy is a hilarious memoir of Jenny Lawson’s experience with severe depression, again resonating with people struggling with symptoms. Given the intensity of The Bell Jar, Furiously Happy complements the book perfectly.

Two for getting over a break-up, one fiction and one non-fiction are:

1. The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler — a Pulitzer Prize Nominee for literary fiction, the story centres around a travel writer, Macon Leary, who writes books for people who hate to travel. Having lost his son a couple of years ago, his wife leaves him shortly after. Unsure of how to proceed with life he uses his writing to chronicle the challenges, the transitions and the emotional processing we are forced to embrace as life goes on. A beautiful story filled with colourful characters, both human and vulnerable, that teach us life-affirming lessons along the way. A feel-good book overall.

2. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb — The non-fiction book starts off with Gottlieb, having just broken up with someone, seeking therapy. A therapist herself, she wonders how she didn’t see it coming. The book essentially a memoir of her own therapy post a relationship break-up, as well as a memoir of the cases she works on during this time, is a fascinating insight into how we make sense of what has just happened to us, and how we heal, ready to take on the world again, opening ourselves to new relationships. Engaging, it reaffirms our belief in the power of psychoanalysis and conventional therapy to release us from our own suffering.

My favourite quote from Gottlieb’s book: “We can’t have change without loss, which is why so often people say they want change but nonetheless stay exactly the same.”

Q: Finally — tell me a little bit more about yourself.

A: I’m based in Hampstead, North West London, and am a mum of two, a boy and girl. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. As a warm welcome, we are offering a 10% discount on our personalised book prescriptions and personalised book boxes as well as our online course on Bibliotherapy, Literature & Mental Health. Simply type in "TENPERCENT" into the promotional code box at check out.