The document discusses bibliotherapy as a method used in pastoral counselling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bibliotherapy involves using guided reading of biblical texts and other resources to address people's mental health needs, facilitate meaning-making, and promote well-being. It was used with various groups, including children, youth, adults, and the elderly, from diverse backgrounds. Results of bibliotherapy included improved coping skills, reduced anxiety and depression, and increased quality of life, social support, and sense of being rooted in faith. While there are disadvantages if not facilitated properly, overall bibliotherapy provided benefits for mental health and spiritual growth when tailored to individual needs and used as a guided therapeutic process.

1. Bibliotherapy
in the Pastoral Counselling
Practice
During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Dr Barbara Louw
Inter Trauma Nexus & Aquilla Training

2. Pastoral Counselling involves helping people to cope with
the pressures and crises of life.
The unprecedented challenges people face during the
COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown force counsellors to
look at creative ways to help people to stay rooted in faith
and to overcome adversity.
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 2

3. The greatest needs were to improved coping skills, reduced
levels of anxiety and depression,
increased self-esteem, social function, quality of life, better
interpersonal and perception of support.
Needs
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 3

4. In my practice Bibliotherapy offers a delicate balance of
Biblical texts and pastoral support strategies that alleviates
cognitive and emotional symptoms of spiritual concern and
facilitates finding meaning in life in general and illness in
particular.
Context
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 4

5. The target audience was children, youth, and adults as well
as the elderly of different racial, gender,
and socio-cultural backgrounds.
Target Audience
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 5

6. Bibliotherapy is a guided method that can be tailored to the
needs of ill people and concerned loved ones as well as to
promote assertiveness, which provides spiritual fulfilment
and growth towards wellness and wholeness.
As an intervention, it helps people receiving treatment and
rehabilitation with the lifelong skill of reflective reading.
Method
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 6

7. Spirituality and religion are multidimensional, connected and
overlapping concepts.
In the complex relationship of spirituality/religion and health,
spiritual or religious issues play a role in the healing process
and represent a health risk (controlling religious beliefs and
communities, or beliefs causing anxiety, low self-esteem,
inability to live up to expectations and so forth.
Spirituality and religion
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 7

8. The clients showed signs of …
• Better adjustment and meaning-making
• Overall well-being and emotion regulation
• Quality of life through social support
• Reduction of self-focus and worry
• Increased creative problem-solving
• Greater sense of being rooted in the Word of God
• Increased appreciation pf different cultures, viewpoints
and life experiences
Affects on Wellbeing
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 8

9. There disadvantages to trying to use unfacilitated reading
for therapeutic purposes.
• Sick people don’t read
• Can aggravate anxiety causing beliefs
• Could zoom into fake news and doom prophecies
Disadvantages
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 9

10. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every
good work”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
The Bible as Primary Resource
Dr Barbara Louw - November 2021 10

11. Dr Barbara Louw
info@aquilla.co.za
083 700 1441