Our Vision
"Words Heal, Inc. aims to catalyze change by promoting the seamless integration of tailored-information access into all helping professions. Through exceptional programs and impactful research, we advance the use of bibliotherapy - the therapeutic use of relevant, practical, and beneficial information - to foster individual holistic wellbeing. By empowering practitioners, policymakers, and the general public with comprehensive training and access, we facilitate non-clinical mental health skill building in diverse settings, fostering positive community transformation."
Our Mission
Words Heal, Inc. - The Sadie Peterson Delaney Literary Collaborative is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing inclusive resources that authentically reflect the diverse experiences of people vulnerable to social disconnection, such as people of color, people of faith, older adults, and those with invisible disabilities. Our mission is to alleviate loneliness, social isolation, and other challenges affecting mental health and wellness through the transformative power of bibliotherapy and professional mediation.
We promote the therapeutic use of narratives and information as powerful tools to connect individuals, navigate crises, make informed decisions, and take meaningful action. By harnessing the healing potential of literature and conflict resolution facilitation, we empower people to achieve lasting, profound changes and positive growth.
We promote the therapeutic use of narratives and information as powerful tools to connect individuals, navigate crises, make informed decisions, and take meaningful action. By harnessing the healing potential of literature and conflict resolution facilitation, we empower people to achieve lasting, profound changes and positive growth.
Our Legacy
Sadie Peterson Delaney. Photo courtesy of Tuskegee University Archives and supplied by Prof. Megan Sweeney (English Language and Literature and Afroamerican and African Studies), Fall 2010 Faculty Seed Grant Recipient for The Gardener Who Prepared the Soil: Sadie Peterson Delaney--Librarian and Bibliotherapist
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
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Who was Sadie Peterson Delaney?
Born in Rochester, New York in February 1889, Sadie P. Delaney received her professional training in the New York Public Library. Mrs. Delaney was a pioneer in the field of bibliotherapy, being recognized first for her work with immigrants and troubled children at the New York Public Library, where she found ways to help patrons using reading materials for therapy. Mrs. Delaney also founded the first black professional women's club in New York City. At the Veteran's Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, Mrs. Delaney used bibliotherapy and group therapy for the mentally ill and disabled, special Braille therapy for the blind and other related activities at the hospital library. For this work, she won international acclaim, receiving numerous awards, honors and citations. She founded and an had a special interest in many organizations related to African-American history and culture. Her mission was to create opportunities for all people to access and benefit from literature. For over three decades, she served as the chief librarian at the Veterans Administration Hospital, where she started a special library for the blind. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Atlanta University. She died in 1958. Dr. Delaney was recognized as one of the 100 most important leaders of the 20th century by American Libraries. For more information on her life and work, start here. |
Directors & Officers (Click on the picture for biographical summaries)
Advisory Board (Click on the picture for biographical summaries)
Volunteers & Professionals
...Who have contributed to our mission, THANK YOU!
Kimiko, Transcriber (Not pictured)
JOIN US!
Words Heal, Inc. welcomes "quick-starters with a positive attitude". We are always looking for board members, team members and volunteers with diverse backgrounds and interests. We are especially excited to welcome people with experience working with our target populations:
Get started ---> Complete our Volunteer Interest Form if you are interested in donating some time to promote bibliotherapy, mediation, publishing, marketing, fundraising, writer's development and/or training.
Words Heal, Inc. welcomes "quick-starters with a positive attitude". We are always looking for board members, team members and volunteers with diverse backgrounds and interests. We are especially excited to welcome people with experience working with our target populations:
- Minorities
- Elderly Persons
- Faith Communities
- Individuals with Special Needs or Exceptional Abilities
Get started ---> Complete our Volunteer Interest Form if you are interested in donating some time to promote bibliotherapy, mediation, publishing, marketing, fundraising, writer's development and/or training.
