About the founder
Bijal Shah
Bibliotherapist, founder of Book Therapy, and author of Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading.
Bijal's journey into bibliotherapy began while she was working in investment banking and studying psychodynamic counselling. In her own therapy, she found herself turning to books to make sense of what she was experiencing. Stories, myths and reading recommendations helped her see the healing possibilities of literature.
After years of research with bibliotherapy experts and the history of therapeutic reading, she developed The Book Therapy Method™, a way of matching books to the moments and feelings that shape our lives.
The story behind Book Therapy
After leaving Deutsche Bank in London, Bijal founded Book Therapy as a bibliotherapy and literary curation practice. Her work spans fiction, non-fiction and poetry, offering reading as a source of comfort, understanding and discovery.
The A–Z of Book Prescriptions grows from that approach: reading lists organised around life's experiences, from anxiety and grief to relationships and new beginnings.
Beyond the reading lists
Bijal is the author of Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading. Her recommendations have appeared in The Guardian, BBC Culture, NBC News, Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping. She has delivered workshops and talks for the United Nations, the NHS, libraries and literary festivals.
She also hosts the Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah podcast and writes the Bibliotherapy with Bijal newsletter.
For training and speaking enquiries, email hello@booktherapy.io.
Explore the A–Z of Book Prescriptions →