ABSTRACT
Spontaneity in grouping, opportunities for leaderless group discussion and the friendliness of attitude and faith in the possibility of improvement which resuit from 'democratic' classroom procedures have been followed by the re-establishment of shattered confidence, the awakening of hope and the discovery of courage on the part of children of all ages. The techniques used by teachers to attain these ends vary along as wide a continuum as those exemplified by differing schools of psychotherapy. The therapeutic values of membership of groups are to be looked for in something other than the mere contrast between 'group-work' and 'discussion-groups' on the one hand and 'individual activities' and lessons' or 'lecture-courses' on the other. Biblio-therapy, the therapy of books, in a very real sense thus offers at all ages that insight into the lives of others which serves to maintain the awareness of kinship which is one of the ingredients of mental health.
