ASLA 2020 WEBINAR SERIES RECORDINGS: May Webinar: Developmental Bibliotherapy: Using Fiction to Help Teens Navigate Adolescence.

In this presentation Judith will introduce listeners to research demonstrating How and Why guided reading programs for secondary students - the type of which many Teacher Librarians would already be familiar - can mitigate the effects of mental illness in teens. Judith will take a closer look at how some serious mental health issues are addressed in YA Fiction, and consider the ways that Cli-Fi (Climate Change Fiction) can reframe students’ concerns about climate change. It is Judith’s belief that “By ignoring the Importance of Stories in the Development of our Young People We are failing in Our Responsibility as Educators to Prepare our students with the Skills they will need to Face the Future and the Ability to effectively manage their own Mental Health”. Judith hopes that listeners will take and use the information and resources she presents in this webinar to advocate for more and extended reading programs throughout students’ entire secondary education.