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Abstract

Bibliotherapy is an underrated therapeutic tool which can be used to help children understand and cope with a bereavement. This dissertation explores the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in helping children (aged 8-11 years old) deal with bereavement. The age of 8-11 years old is an optimum time to teach children about death education through the use of bibliotherapy, as they are able to understand that death is irreversible. Bereaved children, already a large population, will continue to grow due to the higher levels of deaths occurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only this, but children are being more exposed to death through the media because of the pandemic. Therefore, educating children on death and providing them with coping strategies and relevant sources such as bibliotherapy is becoming more crucial than ever before. This dissertation has found that bibliotherapy is a highly effective intervention that enables children to work through the social, emotional and behavioral difficulties that they may be facing due to a recent bereavement. Bibliotherapy can be implemented by a professional counsellor within a therapy session but it can also be delivered within schools by teachers, pastoral leaders and school librarians dependent upon the correct training. Some schools are already implementing bibliotherapy to support bereaved children however, it has been concluded that there is not enough, if any, training being provided to school professionals on how to deal with a bereaved child despite the schooling environment being a consistent and safe space for children. In addition, this dissertation has found that there is no UK government-led policy on providing children with death education in schools, or on implementing interventions such as bibliotherapy as a way to support bereaved children despite the overwhelming literature supporting the importance of death education and bereavement support. The findings within this dissertation were achieved through a literature review consisting of journals, e-books, books as well as charity run websites, government policies and statistical reports.

Course: Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology - BA (Hons)

Date Deposited: 2022-04-08

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13894.html