Heartfelt Books provides integrative bibliotherapy and narrative medicine programming designed to educate, to provide alternate focus, and to encourage and promote open communication among children, families and medical providers. As a healing modality, it can be used in medical settings as a vehicle for coping, and as a link to joyful experiences and activities outside the medical setting. Programming is primarily designed for hospitalized children, to provide emotional support and promote recovery, but can also be used in other medical, therapeutic, and educational settings where emotional trauma is present.
A core component of the program includes a therapeutic library of books that address issues such as coping with illness, dealing with feelings of worry and sadness, adjusting to significant changes in family structure, and understanding implications of grief. Additional books in the therapeutic library collection provide a source of entertaining diversion and help to promote a sense of normalcy.
Heartfelt Books Bibliotherapy Curriculum Includes:
Reviews and recommendations of 125 books for toddler, school-age, tweens and teens
Titles and book summaries in eight targeted categories:
Hospitalization and Medical Concerns
Sibling Concerns/Hospitalization
Feelings
Family Connections
Diagnosis Specific
Grief/Death
Interactive Books
Books for Bedtime
Accompanying activities to extend and enrich storylines
Bibliotherapy Pocket Cards
Bibliotherapy Q & A with training/in-service synopsis
Group setting program guide
Book Rx
Expressions, the Heartfelt Books journaling program, connects teaching aspects of bibliotherapy with tenets of narrative medicine to provide children and teens a creative and therapeutic outlet for self-expression. Designed to work in tandem and as a component curriculum to HFB's bibliotherapy program, Expressions provides another useful tool in facilitating emotional growth and healing.
Expressions: Journaling from The Heart Curriculum Includes:
Journal Prompt Story Cards
(matched with 26 books from the Heartfelt collection)
Cards provide a story summary and a glimpse of the book's underlying message
Cards include journal writing prompts that encourage self-reflection, new perspectives, and ideas for coping
Cards provide specific age-range recommendations for use
Cards include suggestions for use with specific scenarios including children and teens facing illness and injury, separation issues, changes in family structure, mental and physical challenges, loss of a loved one, unique differences and disabilities, and conflicts relating to self-image
Individual Writing Journals for children and teens to share their story
Journals include four tabbed sections for Free Writing, Book Thoughts, Drawing, and Coloring
