An Alcoholic Therapist's Fight
Wasted by
Psychotherapist Michael Pond is no stranger to the devastating consequences of alcoholism. He has helped hundreds of people conquer their addictions, but this knowledge did not prevent his own near-demise. In this riveting memoir, he recounts how he lost his practice, his home, and his family--all because of his drinking. After scores of visits to the ER, a tour of hellish recovery homes, a stint in intensive care for end-stage alcoholism, and jail, Pond devised his own personal plan for recovery. He met Maureen Palmer and together they investigated scientific alternatives to the rigid abstinence doctrine pushed by 12-Step programs.
ISBN: 1771641967Publication Date: 2016-03-15
For Addiction Professionals
These pages promote the therapeutic use of reading, known as bibliotherapy. This tool was compiled by librarians who, without laying claim to psychiatric expertise, assumed the role of accidental bibliotherapists when patrons asked for reading recommendations. We hope it can also help addiction professionals better serve their clients. The project envisions reading and/or group discussion as a supplement to recovery programs and more traditional forms of therapeutic support, not a substitute.
Training in Bibliotherapy
Although there are no officially accredited degree-awarding programs in bibliotherapy, several organizations have taken the initiative to train potential bibliotherapists, ranging from library-related groups to college programs in psychology all over the world. Here are some examples of such programs, which have not been evaluated or endorsed by the Reading for Recovery project, the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies, the Carnegie-Whitney corporation, the American Library Association, or Rutgers University Libraries.
- International Federation for Biblio/Poetry TherapyIncorporated in 1983, the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy sets standards of excellence in the training and credentialing of practitioners in the field of biblio/poetry therapy and authorizes qualified individuals to practice as mentor/supervisors.
- VA Bibliotherapy Resource GuideMental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers. Office of Mental Health Services, Veterans Affairs Central Office
- Central Europe 2020 Bibliotherapy project"The article envisions a new international bibliotherapy project, linking libraries with mental health work, youth work and carrier counselling."
- Alain de Botton on the Bibliotherapy program at the School of Life (video, 1:41)"The London-based School of Life’s Bibliotherapy program has a growing fan-base among Londoners who appreciate its relatively low-cost, non-medicalized approach to the anxieties that are characteristic of modern life."
- Education and Networking in Hungarian Bibliotherapy by Judit BéresShort article in English about bibliotherapists training in Hungary, published in Finnish.
- Poster: Training Bibliotherapists in Europe 1Reading for Recovery: Training Bibliotherapists in Hungary
- Poster: Training Bibliotherapists in Europe 2Reading for Recovery: Person-centered bibliotherapy
Highlights: Latest Titles
Addiction in the Family by ISBN: 1556203349Publication Date: 2015-08-01"This book identifies and addresses potential clinical issues for clients who have family members struggling with addiction, and offers concrete strategies for treatment. Viewing addiction as a family disease, Dr. Kelly explores the complex challenges faced by family members, examines the ways in which substance use disorders affect family dynamics, and discusses behaviors that help sustain recovery and create and maintain healthy relationships"--Amazon.com
Changing Substance Abuse and Criminal Behavior Through Therapeutic Relationships by ISBN: 1137530383Publication Date: 2015-12-14This book approaches the treatment process from a new and yet old perspective. Eleven men who successfully desisted from substance abuse and offending were interviewed to determine how their significant therapeutic relationships facilitated this life change. Data is integrated with a new psychodynamic framework, relational analytic theory, which focuses clinical attention on the qualities and processes of the therapeutic relationship. A therapy model is developed which addresses how to attain and maintain therapeutic engagement, treat client symptoms, and utilize therapeutic conflict to develop client capacity for internal conflict and personal agency, functions critical to resolving addictive behavior. Societal and cultural obstacles to treatment are addressed including group stigmatisation, a lack of funding, and our current manual and group-based treatment protocols.
Unbroken Brain by ISBN: 1250055822Publication Date: 2016-04-05More people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet. But despite the unprecedented attention, our understanding of addiction is trapped in unfounded 20th century ideas, addiction as a crime or as brain disease, and in equally outdated treatment. Challenging both the idea of the addict’s "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality," Unbroken Brain offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviours fall on a spectrum - and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book illustrates how timing, history, family, peers, culture and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery - and why there is no "addictive personality" or single treatment that works for all. Combining Maia’s personal story with a distillation of more than 25 years of science and research, Unbroken Brain provides a paradigm-shifting approach to thinking about addiction.
Reading for Therapy in the Media
- The Reading Cure, by Blake Morrison"The idea that literature can make us emotionally and physically stronger goes back to Plato. But now book groups are proving that Shakespeare can be as beneficial as self-help guides. Blake Morrison investigates the rise of bibliotherapy."
- Reading as a Form of Depression Therapy, by John Folk-Williams"Have you ever heard of bibliotherapy? I’m always trying to identify ways to start working on recovery from depression, but I never thought much about one of the first steps I took – reading. I was surprised to learn that reading books for medical treatment dates to World War II, when it proved effective for wounded veterans. Bibliotherapy also seems to be helpful for depression."
- Reading as Therapy What Contemporary Fiction Does for Middle-Class Americans, by Timothy Aubry (Book review)"In Reading as Therapy, Timothy Aubry argues that contemporary fiction serves primarily as a therapeutic tool for lonely, dissatisfied middle-class American readers, one that validates their own private dysfunctions while supporting elusive communities of strangers unified by shared feelings. Aubry persuasively makes the case that contemporary literature’s persistent appeal depends upon its capacity to perform a therapeutic function."