Pages & Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Young Minds

In this final episode of Pages in Play, we explore the transformative journey from adolescence into young adulthood—and how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support young people through this complex stage.

Teenagers are navigating big questions around identity, belonging, relationships, and purpose. In this episode, we unpack how stories and play create safe, powerful spaces for self-exploration, emotional processing, and connection.

We discuss:

•  Why adolescence may extend into the early 30s—and what that means for parenting and support 
•  How books help teens explore identity, reduce isolation, and build emotional insight 
•  The evolving role of play therapy for teenagers (it’s not just toys!) 
•  Practical ways to connect with teens, including walking “book clubs” and shared activities 
•  A powerful real-life case study illustrating how play therapy supports grief, anxiety, and identity formation 
•  Thoughtfully curated book recommendations to support teens navigating identity, relationships, and mental health 

We close the series with reflections, gratitude, and ways to continue the conversation.

⏱️ Timestamps / Chapters

01:05 – Introduction & why adolescence is a key developmental stage
02:00 – Teen identity: “Who am I?” and the role of narrative
03:22 – Research on adolescence extending into the early 30s
04:30 – Brain development, hormones & emotional shifts in teens
09:53 – What play therapy looks like for teenagers
13:34 – Giving teens agency in reading choices
16:29 – Case study: Willow (from Counting by Sevens)
18:00 – Anxiety, identity, grief & transitions in adolescence
20:00 – Inside the therapy room: observation, resistance & trust-building
24:00 – The importance of endings in therapy and development
25:46 – Narrative therapy & re-authoring your story
28:20 – Staying connected: curiosity, presence & shared experiences
29:21 – Book recommendations for teens (identity, belonging, mental health)
38:52 – Final reflections on the series
40:41 – Closing thoughts & goodbye

Book Recommendations

• Are you there, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
• Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• Every Day by David Levithan
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
• The Final Year & The First Year by Matt Goodfellow
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading by Bijal Shah
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

In this episode of Pages and Play, Freya and I discuss how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support children and adults navigating grief and loss, reviewing grief models including Kübler-Ross’s stages (noting its origins and nonlinearity), Lois Tonkin’s “growing around grief” metaphor (fried egg), and Shelly Gilbert’s upward-spiral model. We discuss how literature and poetry act as emotional translators through identification, catharsis, and insight, and introduce the “mirrors, windows, doors” framework for connecting to feelings and new understandings. The key to emotional regulation is framed as staying connected to oneself across emotional states rather than constant calm. We use the story of Goodbye Mog to illustrate how a parent used it to help her 7-year-old process their beloved pet cat’s passing through conversation, euthanasia preparation, and imaginative “ghost” play. 

This episode also shares children’s and adult book recommendations, creative and play prompts, bibliotherapy techniques (poetry, letters, narrative re-authoring), and resources such as Winston’s Wish.

00:00 Grief and Loss Intro

00:15 Grief Models Explained

01:01 Life Grows Around Grief

02:19 Why Books Help Us Grieve

04:34 Poetry and Group Healing

08:05 Regulation Not Calm

10:05 Narrative Mirrors Windows Doors

15:19 Lucy and Luke Cat Story

21:13 Kids Books for Grief

22:43 More Recommendations and Memoirs

26:34 Play and Bibliotherapy Prompts

30:19 Rituals Creativity and Closing

32:02 Final Reflections and Goodbye

Books Mentioned:

• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
• The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup
• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
• Goodbye, Mog by Judith Kerr
•  Rabbitiness by Jo Empson
• Mist Monster by Beautyman, Kirsti
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
• Mum’s Jumper by Jade Perkin 
• A Storm in a Jar by Samuel Langley-Swain and Katie Cottle 
• The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
• The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily Pan
• The Grieving Teen by Helen Fitzgerald
• My Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz
• Grief Works by Julia Samuel
• Finding Joy By Gary Andrews

Play Prompt:

• Recall Luke’s story to highlight compassion, the value of sharing narratives, and the importance of accepting emotions.
• Encourage children to express feelings and be open to your child’s imaginative journeys like Luke’s one of Misty.
• Recommend resources such as Winston’s Wish website for creative activities and conversation starters.

Bibliotherapy Prompt:

• The key is not just which book you choose, but how you engage with it
• Use bibliotherapy techniques: reading/writing poetry, writing letters to lost loved ones, narrative therapy
• Read slowly, pause, ask questions, or sit quietly with the story together

 Themes:

• The healing power of play and storytelling.
• The transformative role of literature in therapy and self-discovery.
• Methodologies for recommending books to support mental health and emotional growth.
• Encouragement for parents to observe and nurtu

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

Hi everyone, we are half way through the series already! I hope you have enjoyed the first three episodes to date, and we are delighted to bring this fourth episode of “Pages and Play” where Freya and I explore how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support a child by enabling them to externalize their fears through story and symbolic play, and support their nervous-system regulation and emotional literacy. 

We discuss research from Jonathan Haidt on the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of phone-based childhood, urging adults to be curious about children’s online lives. 

We also share practical guidance including validating feelings, being transparent about what to expect, and building adult and child emotional regulation tools, including sensory strategies and narrative reflection prompts. 

Our bibliotherapy client story illustrates the use of the picture book “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes to help a child label worry as a transitory visitor and practice reflective questions to navigate this worry/anxiety. 

We end this episode, like all the others, with book recommendations for children, teens, and adults on anxiety, emotional literacy, and regulation.

We hope you enjoy this episode and Pages and Play Series! And as always we’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts. 

Chapters:

00:00 Anxiety Hidden Signs

00:47 Anxious Feelings Explained

03:18 Books And Play Heal

05:21 Play Therapy Benefits

07:17 Why Anxiety Rising

11:04 Support At Home

14:39 Wemberly Worried Story

20:48 Transparency Builds Safety

24:09 Adult Nervous System Check

28:25 Rewrite Your Inner Story

33:32 Book Picks For Anxiety

41:54 Closing Thoughts

Book Recommendations:

• The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
• Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
• Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents by Reid Wilson & Lynn Lyons
• Nurturing Natures by Graham Music
• Ruby’s Worries by Tom Percival
• The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
• The Invisible String by Patrica Karst
• The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter
• The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety! By Rachel Brian 
• The Final Year and The First Year by Matt Goodfellow
• First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Wemberley Worried by Kevin Henkes
• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures (Young Aspiring) By Julia Finley Mosca
• The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
• The Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt
• What to do when you worry too much by Dawn Huebner
• The Anxiety Workbook for Kids by Robin Alter & Crystal Clarke
• Breathe like a Bear by Kira Willey
• Feelings by Aliki

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

Hi everyone!

It's Friday again and we are excited to publish the third episode of “Pages and Play”. This episode  explores how bibliotherapy and play therapy support young minds through identification, representation, diversity, and inclusion.

The discussion outlines bibliotherapy stages: identification (“shock of recognition”), representation across identities, diversity of perspectives, and inclusion as true belonging, with research noting fiction builds empathy, reduces prejudice, and strengthens theory of mind. Practical techniques include letter-writing to protagonists and narrative therapy (externalising problems, deconstructing dominant narratives, re-authoring hopeful stories). 

A fictionalised case of Kya Clark from "Where the Crawdads Sing" in play therapy illustrates the process of navigating feelings of abandonment, conditional love beliefs, and finding belonging through nature narratives. We recommend a variety of book and resources including “My Grandmother’s Hands,” Robbie Harris’s “Let’s Talk About…” series, Elliot Page’s “Pageboy,” as well as reading lists on booktherapy.io and other diversity-focused sites.

You can listen here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/18909353 Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

I hope you enjoy this episode and Pages and Play Series! And as always we’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts. 

x

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Pages and Play

03:26 Identification and the Shock of Recognition

05:41 Representation, Diversity and Inclusion

08:27 Inclusive Language in Play

10:30 How Fiction Builds Empathy Skills

16:28 Representation and Role Models

19:17 Letter Writing in Bibliotherapy

21:40 Narrative Therapy 

25:12 Libraries for Reading Diversity

27:13 Case Study - Kaya in Play Therapy

37:17 Play Prompt 

38:14 Book Recommendations and Resources

41:38 Closing Thoughts 

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

The episode of “Pages and Play” focuses on emotional literacy as central to bibliotherapy and play therapy, emphasising that children need language and safety to understand and express feelings, and that adults’ own emotional awareness is vital. We discuss how books and play provide safe ways to explore big emotions (anger, grief, anxiety, jealousy) and reduce shame, supporting co-regulation and later self-regulation. 

We reference theories and research from Claude Steiner, Daniel Goleman, and Mia Kellmer Pringle on emotional security and learning. We discuss how hide-and-seek and the Hansel and Gretel fairytale illustrate how a child can process separation anxiety, attachment needs, and autonomy, alongside the importance of validating feelings. Practical prompts include body-based questions and open-ended reading discussions, plus book recommendations for children, teens, parents and caregivers.

Learn how books from renowned authors like Brené Brown, Tom Percival, and Mark Wolynn can guide both adults and children through the complex landscape of emotional development. Whether you’re seeking guidance for yourself or your child, you’ll find resources to nurture self-awareness, compassion, and connection within your family.

00:00 Emotional Literacy Basics

01:21 Why Words Matter

02:28 Emotional Literacy Research and Foundations

04:01 Play Therapy Goals

04:50 Lessons from Hide and Seek

06:57 The Use of Fairytales in Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy

07:58 Hansel and Gretel Case Study

10:08 Characters as Containers

13:58 Multiplicity of Feelings

19:38 Body Signals and Questions

22:15 Building Secure Attachment through Hide and Seek

27:06 Back to the Hansel and Gretel Case Story

35:21 Imagination & Executive Skills

37:51 Bibliotherapy Reading Tools

42:47 Book Recommendations

51:59 Closing Takeaways

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

In this first podcast episode, we introduce bibliotherapy and child-centred play therapy, explaining how stories and play support children’s emotional, psychological, and social development. 

We discuss the neuroscience and research behind how play and storytelling build neural pathways, executive function, language, emotional literacy, and agency. We also share our personal career journeys into the fields, suggest relevant book recommendations, and preview our next episode on emotional literacy.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and Overview

00:51 What Is Bibliotherapy

01:26 4 Bibliotherapy Pillars

02:39 Developmental vs Clinical Use

03:44 How Stories Help Children

05:05 Play Therapy Basics

06:18 Child-Centred Approach

08:58 Play Therapy Benefits

10:59 Trauma and Neurodiversity

11:36 Combining Story and Play Therapy

14:46 Why It Matters Today

15:27 The Science of Play and Story on Childhood Development

19:17 The Importance of Language 

23:08 Safety and Environment

23:42 Making Time to Play

25:17 Our Personal Journeys

25:44 Freya's Path to Play Therapy

30:27 Bijal's Path to Bibliotherapy

35:15 At Home Play Prompts

38:45 At Home Reading Prompts

39:47 Relevant Book Recommendations

44:55 Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

Hi! It's Bijal from Book Therapy and Freya from Play Refuge, and we are SO excited to introduce our new six-part podcast series, Pages and Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Nurturing Young Minds which brings together bibliotherapy and play therapy to explore how books and play can shape young minds.

Each episode blends science, stories, book recommendations, and practical play tips to support adults and children. The series tackles key topics including building emotional literacy, embracing diversity, reducing anxiety, navigating grief, and raising teens, offering real-world strategies for parents, educators, and anyone curious.

The series launches on Friday 27th March and we will be publishing an episode every Friday over the course of six weeks. So please do subscribe to it wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode!

Look forward to having you on board :)

Freya and Bijal x

Support the show

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at [email protected] or [email protected]