Shared Reading (The Reader)

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · 1997 · Liverpool

What it is

Shared Reading is a community and arts-in-health programme run by The Reader, a national charity based at Calderstones Mansion House, Liverpool. It grew out of The Reader magazine, first published in 1997. (The charity's founding director is often named as Jane Davis. That is: none of the sources…

Format

• Shared Reading has no phases, no fixed number of sessions, and no assessment, formulation or discharge. Groups are open and ongoing. People can join at any point and come as often as they like, with no set number of sessions expected. Any "phases" sit at two levels only:
• Frequency: weekly.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• No regulated profession. Reader Leaders are not registered with the HCPC or any arts-therapy body. No clinical qualification is needed, and no background in literature either.
• Training: The Reader's "Read to Lead" course. The 2013 version was three days followed by a 12-month Ongoing Learning programme. The current format, length and cost were not confirmed. The Reader also trains NHS and care staff so that Shared Reading can be built into services.
• What it is. Shared Reading is a community and arts-in-health programme run by The Reader, a national charity based at Calderstones Mansion House, Liverpool. It grew out of The Reader magazine, first published in 1997. (The charity's founding director is often named as Jane Davis. That is: none of the sources confirms it.) It is not psychotherapy, and not an arts therapy. No regulated profession exists for it. Groups…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• someone who stays behind or seems shaken. Use A12 if needed.
• members who feel embarrassed. Never make reading a turn-taking round.
• newcomers who feel lost. Offer a one-line summary so they can join in.
• people withdrawing because they can't follow. Ask quietly what would help.
• the group racing to "what happens next". Slow down, and come back to the passage.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.