Co-creating digital bibliotherapy: designing effective and inclusive wellbeing interventions

This project explores digital bibliotherapy—using e-books, audiobooks, and online tools—to support mental health. It investigates user experiences, designs pilot interventions, and tests new research

Bibliotherapy, broadly defined as ‘the idea that reading can have a beneficial effect on mental health’ (King, Haslam and Campbell, 2018), is an established wellbeing practice and the basis of formal programmes in many institutions, including UCL and the NHS. Digital delivery (using e-books, audiobooks, online activities, and other methods) is now a cornerstone of many programmes, a trend that accelerated during COVID-19. Advantages of digital delivery include greater accessibility, increased inclusivity, speed of access, and lower cost. However, there is scant research into how digital delivery may affect aspects of the therapeutic process. Hence, there is a need to investigate barriers and opportunities, experiment with intervention design, and allow bibliotherapy programmes to benefit more people. 

The project’s core objectives are to: 
• Produce knowledge of bibliotherapy and lived experience of digital therapeutic reading practices 
• Co-create digital bibliotherapy intervention pilot designs 
• Experiment with innovative participatory action research methods from diverse disciplinary traditions