To use books as a tool to heal children affected by trauma, the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children has announced a three-day “International Conference on Book Therapy- Reading is Healing” at the India Habitat Centre here from February 9.

National and international speakers from 15 countries will share their experiences on bringing children and books together to facilitate emotional growth and healing in different sessions like “The Role of Books in Reading to Recovery”, “Creating and Using Books to Heal, Art for Healing” and “The Role of Facilitators in Reaching Out”.

To be inaugurated by Indian Council for Cultural Relations president Karan Singh, the “International Conference on Book Therapy” seeks to highlight the therapeutic effect of books. Eminent speakers will discuss the global importance of literature as a tool for therapy, present details of successful projects and introduce techniques to calm traumatised minds.

Book therapy is the art of healing through stories. “Books can help readers de-stress, inculcate positive attitudes and inspire hope for the future. Children may suffer from fears, complexes and adjustment problems as a result of natural calamities, man-made disasters and psycho-social traumas both at schools and at home. When parents and teachers are unable to provide the attention that traumatised children require, suitable books can help them cope with their problems,” said the AWIC spokesperson.

The AWIC has developed and published a collection of 24 heart-warming stories that intend to soothe the inner turmoil in children's minds. The book “Lighthouse in the Storm” will be released during the conference.