Pure entertainment? Maybe not... using Harry Potter in therapy

 


Colman Noctor, a therapist for the Dunfillan Young Person's Unit in Ireland, wrote an article called Putting Harry Potter on the Couch about using the techniques for personal development taught in the Harry Potter series in therapy. Noctor mentioned that many children relate to stories or fairytales with evil characters. These stories allow them to explore the idea of good vs. bad. When providing group therapy for children, Noctor used the themes in the Harry Potter series to help the children work through some of their struggles. 

For example, Noctor taught the children the idea of thinking of their fears as "boggarts". In the books, the wizarding students have to imagine something they find funny to defeat the boggart. Noctor said, "The message here is both reassuring and empowering, suggesting that conquering our most fearsome inner demons is merely a matter of perspective". 

Noctor also described conjuring a "patronus", a silvery creature meant to drive away dementors, in terms of providing therapy. He said that children going through psychological disturbances have a difficult time thinking of anything positive. However, when children picture something good or positive, they are better able to recover from the psychological disturbance. 

Overall, the Harry Potter series isn't just for entertainment. It can be utilized as a tool for recovery and therapy. Maybe more book series could be used to help children learn more skills for personal development in therapy?


Art from https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/visit-our-starting-harry-potter-hub-2022 

Article:

Noctor, C. (2006). Putting harry potter on the couch. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 11(4), 579-589. https://doi-org.byu.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1359104506067879


Comments

  1. Kimberly BarreraJanuary 31, 2024 at 3:02 PM

    I love your post! I enjoyed Noctor's article and I'm grateful for you highlighting the examples the author provided on how to specifically use Harry Potter as a tool for therapy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ChloëMarch 27, 2024 at 12:08 PM

    I love this post and the art that you put with it! I have always believed that media can help people express who they are. I personally have found a lot of comfort in the various characters in stories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hannah DayApril 16, 2024 at 6:36 PM

    The noctor study is so intersting! I wonder what other books or YA media could be used in the same way. Would stories like from Divergent work? Or Lord of the RIngs? It would be fun to see if other books or world building novels/movies can be applied in the same way in therapy.

    ReplyDelete

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