
Dr Susan McLaine is the creative director of Bibliotherapy Australia and a leading advocate and practitioner of bibliotherapy—using literature to help people deal with psychological, social and emotional challenges.
For more than 14 years, she has researched, delivered, written, and spoken about bibliotherapy in Australia and internationally. She provides bibliotherapy to healthy-minded people who want to live their best lives and to highly vulnerable people who need support to move ahead in their lives.
More recently Susan created the popular and unique Bibliotherapy with State Library Victoria podcast series, offering bibliotherapy in a facilitated self-reflective format for both adults and children.
Susan is a passionate advocate of Children’s Literature. She is a published children’s author, tertiary lecturer in Children’s Literature, and has been a judge on the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
Susan is a regular speaker and writer, on the subject of bibliotherapy. Susan promotes the concept of bibliotherapy through conference presentations and conference papers and publications in journals. Susan receives frequent invitations to speak and loves the opportunities to promote bibliotherapy to diverse audiences.
Recent major presentations/deliveries include:
- 2020 State Library Victoria
- 2021 State Library Victoria
- 2022 IFLA International Conference
- 2022 ALIA National Conference
- 2023 Vision Australia
- 2023 Dementia National Conference
Please contact me to discuss speaking or writing engagements.
Newspapers
Financial Review
4 July 2014: ‘Life’s too short for bad books’
Sydney Morning Herald
26 February 2013: ‘Don’t pop a pill, read a book’
The Age, Melbourne
13 March 2011: ‘Between the Lines’
Magazines
Wellbeing Magazine
May 2014 (no. 150, pp. 26–28): ‘Well-read for Wellbeing’
Spoonful Magazine (Arts Health Institute)
November 2013 (no. 1, pp. 39–42): ‘Bibliotherapy’
Radio
ABC Radio Melbourne
29 February 2016, talking bibliotherapy with the lovely Clare Bowditch, 774 ABC Melbourne
ABC Radio Melbourne
23 August 2014, Hilary Harper: ‘Retrospective of the Melbourne Writers Festival “Words that Heal” session’
ABC Radio Darwin
25 November 2013: ‘Mind Matters: Bibliotherapy, prescribing novels for wellbeing’
ABC Radio Melbourne
2 December 2011, The Book Show: ‘The Therapy of Reading’