Biblio/Poetry Therapy in Dante's language

Abstract

In Italy, biblio/poetry therapy developed between the 1990s and the 2000s. While in the beginning it was a tool mainly used by psychologists, today, thanks to the work developed by the University of Verona, developmental bibliotherapy is also spreading in different areas: schools (both with students and parents), libraries, social and cultural associations, prisons. The most commonly used model is that of client-centred bibliotherapy adapted to the characteristics of the Italian population. With the establishment of the BIPO (Italian Association of Bibliotherapy and Poetry Therapy), the main currents of thought were brought together, giving rise to a series of training initiatives and the opening of the first register for Bibliotherapy/Poetry Therapy facilitators in Italy. This talk will describe the main ways of using biblio/poetry therapy, how the register of facilitators was set up and will illustrate the basic and specialist training model of the University of Verona.