Therapeutic Book Club
What is a Therapeutic Book Club?
Therapeutic book club is a bibliotherapy group experience which combines the feel of a traditional book club with the guided emotional reflection of a support group. We use literature as a tool for healing, exploration and connection.
In this book club, we prioritise fiction because it is an underrated and underutilised form of literature that often gets to the heart of the human experience. Stories provide some psychological distance, making it easier to feel and process complex emotions and experiences like grief, sadness and anger.
So, whilst we are getting to know characters, we are also getting to know ourselves. Together we get curious about which characters bring up difficult emotions in us. Which situations or decisions make us annoyed, frustrated or joyful? There is space for quiet reflection, creative writing exercises, group discussion and more.
Tell me more about bibliotherapy…
The literature we focus on will engage with themes that I see often in the therapy room like: what it means to navigate identity issues when you are a church girl who is also racialised or minoritised, the legacy of colonialism on our faith, gender, sexuality, dysfunctional/unhelpful family dynamics, people pleasing, eldest daughters/parentification, emotionally immature parents/siblings and so much more….
All of these can come up in the therapy room when we really engage with religious trauma.
So if you've been longing for a thoughtful literary space to better understand yourself & your patterns, this is it.
Who is it for?
This is a group for women who grew up in or were influenced by church yet, don’t always feel like they fit in Christian spaces anymore. You may be deconstructing (re-evaluating) or somewhere similar. Most importantly, you are trying to heal from harmful religious experiences and are looking for a thoughtful community to support you on your journey.
If you love reading and have been craving deep conversation, meaningful discussions & the space for quiet reflection. This may be the space for you.
If you’ve been wrestling with questions and would value the space to do this in community -without the pressure to get it “right”, then join us. We’d love to have you.
How does it work?
There will be a set structure each week which will include space for a facilitated group discussion, time for quiet reflection (with writing prompts to help deepen your exploration) and a psychoeducation segment where I share for 15-20 min on some of the questions or activities I might suggest for certain characters if they were in therapy. Sharing will be welcome and facilitated but never pressured.
Where is it?
We’ll meet online on the 4th Sunday of each month at 8pm-9:30PM (GMT).
How many spaces are there?
There will be 14 spaces in the initial group.
How much does it cost?
£25 a month
Will any body preach at me?
You can rest assured that this is a protected space. There will be no witnessing/ evangelising/proselytising or pushing towards a certain outcome. This is to ensure that people have space to truly explore what the books bring up for them and so that each person’s journey is respected.
This is a space that affirming of difference in all its forms including queer identity and neurodiversity.
Sound good?
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, join the newsletter to help me dream up this space and to be the first to know when the group launches.