The death of a parent by suicide is especially traumatic. Researchers estimate the number of children in the United States annually who experience their parent's suicide ranges from 7,000 to 30,000. These child survivors experience more complicated grief as compared to children bereaved by a parent's non-suicidal death. In particular, very young children have difficulty understanding that their parent completed suicide. Across time they struggle with confusion and intense emotions associated with their parent's suicide. Due to the stigma associated with suicide, feelings of guilt, and intense grief, surviving family members avoid talking about the suicide. Young children are often confused and suffer in silence with limited understanding about who the deceased parent was and why the parent completed suicide. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven adults, who as young children experienced the death of their father by suicide. All participants reported being five years old or younger at the time of the suicide. Participants explained how they found out about the suicide; how they developed an understanding of their deceased father across the years; and how they developed memories of their father, largely dependent on others' stories and reported details. At the conclusion of the interviews, participants were offered nine children's picture books. Participants self-selected books from these nine books and offered their impressions about how these books may or may not be helpful for young child survivors of parent suicide. Their reactions to the books are discussed in relationship to their personal stories and lived experiences. Their reactions have implications for how potential books must be carefully selected, making considerations in light of the child's unique experiences. Participants' responses highlighted the importance of attachment issues, the challenges of forming a connection to the deceased loved one with limited memories of their parent. Ultimately, survivors' perceptions and experiences are tied to the challenges of navigating Worden's (1996) tasks of grief. Implications for applied practice include considering how to use children's literature to open and encourage communication, allowing children to ask questions about the suicide; supporting young children in accepting the reality of their parent's death; facing the grief and pain with the support of loved ones; adapting to changes in their life's trajectory due to their father's suicide and adapting to altered family relationships; and building memories of the deceased loved one, and when possible, ensuring healthy attachment to the deceased parent.

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This paper is an attempt to combine my love of reading with my interest in education. My exploration of romance literature and its popular appeal is based on a developmental "bibliotherapy" approach to reading. Focusing on the adolescent girl in her identity crisis, I examine potential benefits and pitfalls that romance reading might hold for her as she grows toward an independent maturity and becomes involved in intimate relationships. Although it includes classroom observations, my project is not a data-based survey of adolescent girls and their reading habits; rather, it is a theoretical exploration of moral and pedagogical concerns which I have encountered through my experiences with teaching and reading. As such, it deals with issues of gender and genre and the role of the educator in the promotion of relevant texts during the transition years of adolescence. I rely on several eighteenth-century works--Radcliffe's popular gothic romance and Austen's satire of that genre (though Austen's novel, too, contains a moving romance); on Rousseau's Emile and Gilligan's feminist theories--to develop my thesis that romance reading can provide a landscape for sublimation and delay of early sexual experience; and that it is the educator's role to guide young girls in their reading to recognize the dangers of reification and to lead them toward a stronger sense of self. / Thesis / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Bibliotherapy—the process of utilizing literature for its therapeutic properties—has been around for centuries; however, it wasn’t until a surge of research in the 1920s that the process became recognized as an adequate method of therapy. With the rising mental health crisis looming over the United States, the time to develop, establish, and advocate for a bibliotherapeutic curriculum in K-12 public education is now. Using literary works such as Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, Helena Fox’s How it Feels to Float, and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, this thesis establishes the literary, therapeutic, and pedagogical reasoning for the implementation of such a curriculum. Using this thesis, further research could be conducted to strengthen the argument herein. Research confirms that increased levels of reading leads to an increased level of empathy. Not only could a bibliotherapeutic curriculum produce a more empathetic society, but it could support the mental health of the nation’s children, adolescents, and young adults.

Even though today's children's literature provides a wide range of topics, including books on death and grief, and much has been done to represent children with disabilities accurately and positively, there is still room for improvement. This descriptive study sought to understand how individuals with disabilities were represented in 177 grief-themed children's books from 1965-2023. From the results, only seven books included representations of individuals with disabilities. Additionally, the literary devices such as euphemisms or metaphors utilized in the books to describe how death was represented may inadvertently perpetuate inaccessibility to resources about grief (Berns, 2004). Thus, when choosing books about grief and death, parents, caregivers, and educators should incorporate concrete and unambiguous language. Taking time to listen and answer questions can provide ongoing support and reassurance for those experiencing the death of a loved one.

This thesis sought to aid children in coping with community violence. As violent crimes terrorize communities near and far, children are hearing about them. Children might learn about this violence on the news or by overhearing adults' discussions. Regardless, this thesis sought to help students navigate a world that may be anxiety filled. This thesis includes an exploration of bibliotherapy and discussions of the use of books in a therapeutic manner to delve deeper into its profound effects. The topics of this thesis surround social-emotional learning, which is also investigated and explained. The benefits of combining bibliotherapy and social-emotional learning are evident in the findings of this thesis which identified helpful books. By watching read-alouds, analyzing their content, and choosing books that aligned with the goal of this thesis, nine books were selected for inclusion. Bitmoji Book Bags were created for each of the nine books. These Bitmoji creations contain links to book talks, read-alouds, discussion prompts, activities, and more for students and their parents. The format of these Bitmoji Book Bags is digital, so that the links can be easily exchanged with parents, community members, and educators as a resource for when community violence occurs.

The effect of grief on children with autism is an under-researched area of study. Until recently, it was often assumed that individuals with autism did not have the capacity to grieve. Because of deficits in social skills, interpersonal relationships, and language and communication skills, these individuals are especially vulnerable as they navigate the challenging social and emotional aspects associated with bereavement and grief. Bibliotherapy is offered as supportive strategy for bereaved children, providing them with structure and guidance through a time of uncertainty and change. This study is based on two focus groups, one with teachers of children with autism (n = 8) and one with parents of children with autism (n = 5). Researchers focused on the purpose of supporting children in grades K–3 through the death of a loved one or pet. Focus group participants discussed their perceptions of how this special population of children grieves and how to support them following a significant loss, such as the death of a loved one or beloved pet. After reviewing selected resources (supportive stories), participants offered their impressions regarding the appropriateness and potential effectiveness of the resources. Focus groups were audiotaped and later transcribed. Transcriptions were carefully reviewed and discussed by two individuals to identify and summarize themes. After summarizing the information from the transcriptions and organizing the information, one individual served as a quality check, to verify the accuracy of the findings. Additionally, a member check was offered to participants to assure accuracy in the typed transcripts (for intended meaning and content). The following information and recommendations are presented based on the input from the focus group participants. Three overarching themes were identified in this study, as well as some specific cautions and warnings. Participants emphasized the importance of individualization in the selection of stories for children with autism. Readers should be aware of the child’s specific needs and circumstances when they are selecting a story. The stories should be developmentally appropriate and should help support the child through the specific type of death or loss that has occurred. Participants also discussed the importance of selecting books that are concrete, simple, and structured. As children with autism often have difficulty with abstract concepts, the topic of death and loss should be approached in a concrete and literal way. Books that present information in this manner will best help the child to understand their experience. Practitioners who use bibliotherapy to support children with autism through a death or loss should be sensitive to family beliefs. Open communication should be used with the child’s family in order to select a book that best fits that child’s needs. Children with autism will also benefit from stories that help to normalize their experience and that help them to understand the emotions that they or their family and friends may experience. Future research is recommended to further explore the use of supportive stories in aiding a child with autism through the grief and loss process. It is important to examine how children with autism respond to the selected stories and to understand how effective the stories are in their coping and understanding process.

This study investigated the efficacy of culturally adapted bibliotherapy in promoting resilience among American Samoan children aged 5-13 years in response to high adolescent suicide rates in the Pacific Islands and the need for culturally adapted and supportive interventions grounded in mental health wellness. Bibliotherapy, particularly the identification with story characters, has been recognized for bolstering mental wellness, resilience, and emotional regulation in children. In this research, the children's response to bibliotherapy was measured through card sorting and forced-choice exercises, assessing their engagement with literature mirroring their experiences. The materials were developed in collaboration with Samoan cultural brokers on island to ensure cultural relevance, focusing on emotions commonly faced by children, such as sadness, anger, and fear, within the context of school bullying and the grief of losing a loved one. Findings suggest that the adapted stories significantly aided the children in relating to the characters and their challenges, demonstrating that culturally sensitive bibliotherapy may be a promising approach for reinforcing resilience in Pacific Islander communities. The study concludes with a discussion on the practical applications of these findings.

Lam Na. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2001-2002, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77). / Synopsis --- p.p. 1-2 / Problem Defining --- p.p. 3-16 / Introduction --- p.p .3 / Research - Hermit & Recluse Culture in China --- p.p. 4-10 / Issues --- p.p. 11-15 / Conclusion --- p.p. 16 / Site --- p.p.17-28 / Prologue --- p.p. 17 / Site selection --- p.p. 18-20 / Existing context --- p.p. 21 / Site image --- p.p. 22-25 / Solar study --- p.p. 26-28 / Program --- p.p. 29-35 / Prologue --- p.p. 29 / Reading --- p.p. 30 / A study of bibliotherapy --- p.p. 31-32 / Garden --- p.p. 33 / Precedent --- p.p. 34-35 / Design Stage --- p.p. 36-76 / Design concept --- p.p. 36-37 / Design generator --- p.p. 40-44 / Design development --- p.p. 45-55 / Chapter - --- Phase 1 --- p.p. 45-46 / Chapter - --- Phase 2 --- p.p. 47-50 / Chapter - --- Phase 3 --- p.p. 51-56 / Final design --- p.p. 57-76 / Bibliography --- p.p. 77 / Chapter Appendix - --- A study of Chinese scholar garden and Wanshiyuan --- p.App. 1-7 / Acknowledgement

The aim of this research, Reading Selection as Information Seeking Behavior: A Case Study with Adolescent Girls, was to explore how the experience of reading fiction affects adolescent girls aged 13 through 15, and how that experience changes based upon four activities: journaling, blogging, a personal interview, and a focus group session. Each participant reflects upon works of her own choosing that she had recently read. The data is evaluated using content analysis with the goal of developing a relational analysis tool to be used and tested with future research projects. The goal of this research is to use the insights of the field of bibliotherapy together with the insights of the adolescent girls to provide a higher, more robust model of successful information behavior. That is, relevance is a matter of impact on life rather than just a match of subject heading. This work provides a thick description of a set of real world relevancy judgments. This may serve to illuminate theories and practices for bringing each individual seeker together with appropriate documents. This research offers a new model for relevant information seeking behavior associated with selecting works of essential instructional fiction, as well as a new definition for terminology to describe the results of the therapeutic literary experience. The data from this study, as well as from previous research, suggest that literature (specifically young adult literature) brings the reader to a better understanding of herself and the world around her.