Patients' and providers' perspectives on bibliotherapy in primary care

Abstract

Abstract Bibliotherapy is a form of self‐administered treatment in which structured materials provide a means to alleviate distress. Although the treatment has evidence of effectiveness, evaluations of bibliotherapy have typically focused on outcomes, and the perspectives of both the client and the service provider have been understudied. In the present study, eleven users of a bibliotherapy scheme were interviewed regarding their experiences of bibliotherapy. In addition, five referring practitioners to the scheme were also interviewed. Thematic analyses revealed three super‐ordinate themes in the transcripts: participants' personal experiences of the bibliotherapy scheme factors that facilitate change and the influence of the professionals involved. The implications of these findings for bibliotherapy schemes are considered. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: • In primary care, bibliotherapy can be useful for early intervention with people experiencing mild to moderate psychological problems. • Referring practitioners actively involved in bibliotherapy can benefit from the feedback obtained from recipients in terms of monitoring progress. • There is a relatively high level of patient acceptability for participation in bibliotherapy schemes. • The role of allied professionals in bibliotherapy delivery requires consideration as it impacts on client engagement with the scheme.