Fostering sustainable university-community partnerships

bibliotherapy's role in bridging disconnection and reconnection in public mental healthcare

Abstract

This study reflects upon four-year socially engaged scholarship efforts that led to establishing an in-house facility at a public mental healthcare centre in Gauteng, South Africa. The transformative potential of bibliotherapy was adopted to address the need for adult literacy development. Post-intervention, thirty-five female residents participated in a five-week journaling activity, reflecting on their experiences in the set context. Researchers provided guiding questions, and participants recorded their thoughts through writing or drawing. Inductive coding with MAXQDA revealed a central theme, “Bridging the divide between disconnect and re-connect,” with sub-themes including “user characteristics”, “emotional experiences”, and “coping skills”. The findings show that bibliotherapy can significantly improve users’ well-being, communication, and independence. This approach offers a cost-effective and collaborative solution in public mental healthcare, enhancing patient literacy and overall well-being. The study highlights the therapeutic benefits of reading and narrative engagement, providing valuable insights for future university-community collaborative outreach and mental healthcare practices.