What's LitTherapy?
Bibliotherapy, or reading as a tool for wellbeing, is at the centre of
LitTherapy’s mission: to provide fiction prescriptions for the feelings, situations and problems that so many of us face, alongside mental health issues.
LitTherapy.com currently provides a list of categories on its homepage, including feelings and situations that range from ‘anxiety’ to ‘seeking solitude’, and a selection of novels are ‘prescribed’ within each one. However, the site is now hoping to reach its next stage by crowdfunding £1000 on Indiegogo
before the end of March 2013.
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Why are you crowdfunding?
Rather than simply being a source of book recommendations, LitTherapy is aiming to become interactive and social by...
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Allowing users to add books to a personal bibliotherapy plan
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Allowing users to vote up or down
books in categories
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Allowing users to
submit books
themselves
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Allowing users to
comment
on books and share their own experiences
, encouraging them to speak out about mental health in particular
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Allowing users to recommend
particular books to other members
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Introducing a subcategory function
to increase the chance of a user finding an appropriate book.
Why £1000?
The money that’s raised on Indiegogo
will go straight to the LitTherapy project, no matter how much is raised. While I have already funded the domain, hosting and approximately 20 hours of work by a developer (on the limited budget of an undergraduate!), the site now requires some help from its supporters to maximise its potential as a usual resource for all readers and their wellbeing.
£1000 will cover the hiring of a developer on Elance to implement the social and interactive features, and it will provide a basis for other book bloggers, readers and volunteers to get involved with the site and supervise its running along with me, Lucy.
Here's what I have to say:
Reading Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace helped me overcome and manage the symptoms of my PTSD and anxiety disorders, and I now want to create a free online resource for all readers. Whether you’re feeling low, confused, or simply in need of a great book, bibliotherapy shouldn’t be something to pay for, but rather a tool that’s readily available. I believe that by sharing our combined knowledge and experience in one place we can build the best bibliotherapy resource possible, and I’m keen to get everyone involved.
What's in it for me?
The LitTherapy campaign is offering some great rewards for helping their project along, including a hand-selected novel in the post, personal bibliotherapy recommendations, and the Tolstoy Therapy ebook alongside other literary treats.
However, the main incentive to get involved is to be a part of an online resource that will introduce so many people to the healing potential of fiction!
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The Impact
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Readers will be able to share their knowledge of great books with others and find recommendations in return.
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Mental health sufferers will be able to use books
as a way to speak out.
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It will be a free resource that comes with the added benefit of social interaction and
becoming more well-read
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Other Ways You Can Help
I know that some of you won't be able to contribute, but I'd be so thankful if you could consider these little acts of kindness too:
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Share this campaign to your social networks and connections to see if they can help out.
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Get the word out about
LitTherapy,
my blog, and reading fiction for mental health
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If you know someone who's going through some problems, why not recommend them a book?
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Tweet me the books that have helped you in any way to
@tolstoytherapy.
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