IFBPT
TRAINING GUIDE
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR BIBLIO/POETRY THERAPY
P.O. Box 591, Norwalk, CT 06856. | www.IFBPT.org | Admin@IFBPT.org
© 2025, 2021 International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy
© 2015 National Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy
All elements in this Training Guide shall remain in effect.
Copyright is retained by IFBPT. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be
copied or used without written permission from the International Federation for
Biblio/Poetry Therapy. Information is accurate as of the date of publication and is
subject to change.
This is the latest version of the Training Guide and all
previous versions should not be consulted.
February 2025
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Table of Contents
FOREWORD ..................................................................................................................................................................4
TRAINING TO BECOME A POETRY FACILITATOR/THERAPIST ......................................................................6
Contact and Contract with an Approved Certified Mentor ....................................................................................6
PREREQUISITE(S) .......................................................................................................................................................7
PREREQUISITES IN PSYCHOLOGY: ..............................................................................................................................7
PREREQUISITES IN LITERATURE: ................................................................................................................................7
PREREQUISITES IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: ...........................................................................................................8
THREE TYPES OF CREDENTIALS ARE OFFERED: ...............................................................................................8
Certified Applied Poetry Facilitator (CAPF) .........................................................................................................8
Certified Poetry Therapist (CPT) ...........................................................................................................................8
Registered Poetry Therapist (PTR) ........................................................................................................................8
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POETRY THERAPY .................................................................................................10
Didactic: ...............................................................................................................................................................11
Facilitation ...........................................................................................................................................................12
Supervision of Facilitation: ..................................................................................................................................13
Peer Poetry Therapy Experience: ........................................................................................................................14
Capstone Project (PTR only)................................................................................................................................15
Foreword
We are delighted that you have chosen to embark on the journey to become a credentialed
poetry therapist or applied poetry facilitator. During your training you will develop a solid
foundation in the principles and practice of poetry therapy and applied poetry facilitation, and
you will have opportunities to establish connections with other practitioners who can
contribute to your professional growth.
Poetry therapy may be traced back as far as the 4th century B.C.E. in Egypt, where words were
written on papyrus and then dissolved in a solution so that they could be ingested and take
effect quickly for healing purposes. The first poetry therapist on record was a 1st century
Roman physician named Soranus who prescribed tragedy for his manic patients and comedy for
those who were depressed. It is not surprising that the Greeks called Apollo the god of poetry
as well as medicine, since medicine and the arts were historically entwined. Shamans, witch
doctors, medicine men and women, priest-doctors, and tribal healers chanted poetry and
scripture, and told stories for the well-being of the community or individual.
The term bibliotherapy was initially coined by Samuel Crothers in 1916. The field of
biblio/poetry therapy became popular in the 1960s and 1970s when it was adopted by hospital
librarians who saw the value of having a special designation for the practice of selecting and
using books helpful to psychiatric patients. Doctors at the Menninger Clinic collaborated
closely with hospital librarians because they felt that the librarians knew both the patients and
the literature that might draw them out.
Today, poetry therapy is acknowledged as one of the expressive arts therapies alongside music,
dance/movement, art, psychodrama, and play. Practitioners of poetry therapy can be found
wherever there is a need for healing and growth. It is used with individuals and groups in
hospitals, libraries, churches, school systems, correctional facilities, and private practice to
name a few.
The International Federation for Biblio/Poetry (hereinafter sometimes referred to as IFBPT or
the Federation) is the independent body that sets educational and practice standards and awards
credentials for the field of poetry therapy. IFBPT advances the professional growth of the field
both by evaluating training and by encouraging the pursuit of credentialing.
The Federation’s Credentials Committee evaluates and provides feedback for applicants’
training plans and final portfolios. All comments and recommendations pertaining to training
and credentialing will be made in the spirit of upholding the highest professional and ethical
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standards. Upon the Credentials Committee’s recommendations, the Federation awards each
successful applicant the federally trademarked designation of Certified Applied Poetry
Facilitator (CAPF), Certified Poetry Therapist (CPT) or Registered Poetry Therapist (PTR).
This training guide contains all the information about the training process. Herein, you will
also find a bibliography to inform your studies. On our website, www.IFBPT.org, you will find
a list of Federation-approved Credentialed Mentors and Credentialed Mentor candidates (MCs)
to guide you through the training process.
The International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy welcomes you. We hope that you will
find our poetry therapy training experience meaningful and rewarding.
*** For more information, including a comprehensive history of poetry therapy and the
federation, please visit www.IFBPT.org.
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Training To Become A Poetry Facilitator/Therapist
Personal Qualifications
Essential personal qualifications for working in the field of poetry therapy include
self- understanding, emotional stability, patience, tact, flexibility, good judgment,
respect for boundaries, and a commitment to life-long learning. As a potential trainee,
you are expected to have sufficiently worked through your own issues in counseling
or psychotherapy prior to enrollment in the training program. It is an ethical violation
for a Certified Mentor to provide counseling or psychotherapy (including poetry
therapy) for a trainee.
There are three steps to begin training
1. Contact and contract with an approved Certified Mentor
2. Create a training plan. You will create this in collaboration with your mentor.
3. Submit your application to begin training
Contact and Contract with an Approved Certified Mentor
Your first step is to contact a Certified Mentor to guide you through training. A Certified
Mentor is a CAPF, CPT or PTR who is additionally credentialed by IFBPT. A list of
approved Certified Mentors is on the Federation’s website www.ifbpt.org. Select and
contact a Certified Mentor to interview from the approved list. The Federation suggests
interviewing more than one Certified Mentor. You can work with a Certified Mentor in
your geographic area or pursue training using long distance methods through online
technology. A potential Certified Mentor will want to know your academic and
occupational background and your reasons for wanting to begin training. Approved
Certified Mentors work closely with the Federation to assure that training requirements
are met.
Your Certified Mentor will provide the following services:
●
●
●
●
Assistance with preparing your training and credential applications
Didactic training
Directing and guiding your facilitation practice
Supervision of your facilitation hours
The Board of IFBPT is responsible for final approval of your training plan.
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As a trainee, you may work with any approved Certified Mentor who agrees to work with
you. Fees for Certified Mentoring vary and are discussed when arrangements to work together
are formulated. You and your Certified Mentor will sign a document delineating the fees,
forms, and requirements of your learning agreement. This relationship will be the foundation
of your poetry therapy training.
Prerequisite(s)
● All candidates for training will have earned a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from
an accredited university.
● Prerequisites are required areas of basic knowledge that all training applicants
must complete prior to training or commit to complete in the first year of
training. Documentation for completion of unmet prerequisites from your
application for training must be submitted with your application for credentials
at the end of your training.
● Your Certified Mentor will help you assess your college transcripts during the
application process to determine if some or all prerequisites have been met.
● Prerequisites may be met by a three-credit college course. If such a course is not
available during your training period, you may engage in Mentor-directed
independent study by reading a minimum of three relevant texts or a 30-hour
minimum private course of study, plus writing response papers documenting
learning in the area studied and its relevance for poetry therapy practice.
● Plans for completing prerequisites must be approved by your Certified Mentor.
Prerequisite fulfillment cannot be counted towards your didactic learning.
Prerequisites in Psychology:
Applicants for training must demonstrate knowledge in three areas of psychology:
● Human Development Across the Lifespan: Typical psychological development
(cognitive, emotional and social development) from infancy through old age
● Abnormal Psychology/Psychology of Difference or the equivalent
● Group Process: Psychological aspects of small group facilitation, with emphasis
on small-group structure, processes and behaviors
Prerequisites in Literature:
Applicants for training must demonstrate knowledge in three areas:
● Creative writing
● Poetry as a Genre: The study of poetry including poetic elements and devices
● Literature of other genres: fiction, non-fiction, drama
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Prerequisites in Professional Practice:
Professional Ethics and Records Management for Human Services Providers must be
completed in the first 6 months of training.
Licensed mental health professionals (CPT and PTR trainees) who can document that
they have completed a separate course covering this content within the past four
years, either in their qualifying graduate degree program(s) or while they were
acquiring their post-degree hours of experience toward licensure, will have met this
requirement.
Three types of credentials are offered:
Certified Applied Poetry Facilitator (CAPF) This person brings to training an
enthusiasm for and knowledge of literature and writing with an understanding of basic
psychology and group dynamics. The CAPF’s training is geared toward working with
healthy populations. The CAPF needs to be able to determine when a distressed individual
needs to be referred to a mental health professional. All CAPF candidates must have
completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The CAPF is
trained to facilitate groups and work with individuals in non-clinical settings such as
schools, libraries, recreational facilities, and similar growth-oriented organizations. The
CAPF may also work in a mental health setting under the supervision of a qualified
mental health professional if permitted by state laws and regulations and local ordinances.
Certified Poetry Therapist (CPT) is a licensed mental health professional who has
earned a graduate degree in a clinical mental health discipline and may work in
independent practice with the diverse scope of issues as defined by the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in accordance with the laws of their states.
Registered Poetry Therapist (PTR) is a licensed mental health professional who
has earned a graduate degree in a clinical mental health discipline. In addition to this, the
PTR, completes an advanced level of training and fieldwork, commensurate with the
highest levels of clinical practice.
Although some trainees may undertake CPT or PTR training while enrolled in a clinical
graduate program and/or completing post-graduate requirements for licensure, these
designations are conferred only upon those who have completed graduate work in a mental
health field, have attained licensure and hold a current license from the state(s) in which
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they practice. Credential candidates who complete CPT or PTR requirements prior to
licensure will be awarded the CAPF until they submit proof of licensure to the Credentials
Committee, provided that half of the facilitation hours have been done with a clinical
population. A CAPF credentialed individual may apply to the Federation to be awarded a
CPT credential by submitting proof of licensure and documentation that at least half of the
facilitation hours have been done with a clinical population.
CAPF
CPT
PTR
Developmental
wellness as well as
those who have
been clinically
diagnosed
Graduate degree in
clinical
mental health
Developmental
wellness work as
well as those who
have been clinically
diagnosed
Graduate degree in
clinical
mental health
⋅ Human Development
Across the Lifespan
⋅ Group Process
⋅ Abnormal Psychology
⋅ Human Development
Across the Lifespan
⋅ Group Process
⋅ Abnormal Psychology
PREREQUISITES
IN LITERATURE
Creative Writing
Poetry as Genre
Literature of Other
Genres: fiction, nonfiction, drama
Creative Writing
Poetry as Genre
Literature of Other
Genres: fiction,
non- fiction, drama
Creative Writing
Poetry as Genre
Literature of Other
Genres: fiction, nonfiction, drama
DIDACTIC
200 hours
200 hours
250 hours
FACILITATION
120 hours
120 hours
300 hours
At least half the hours
need to be with a
clinical population
3 different populations
in a clinical setting
WORKS WITH
EDUCATION
PREREQUISITES
IN PSYCHOLOGY
Developmental
wellness
populations
Bachelor’s degree
⋅ Human Development
Across the Lifespan
⋅ Group Process
⋅ Abnormal
Psychology/Psych of
Differences or the
equivalent
At least 2 different
non-clinical
populations
POPULATIONS
At least 30 hours of
poetry therapy at one
site or with one
population
20 hours need to be
with a non-clinical
population
At least half of
facilitations in a
clinical setting
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SUPERVISION OF
FACILITATION
PEER POETRY
THERAPY
EXPERIENCE
At least 30 hours of
poetry therapy at one
site or with one
population
A minimum of 20
hours with at least
one non-clinical
population
60 hours
1:1 supervision for 20
hours
10 hours can be
provided by another
Certified Mentor
60 hours
1:1 supervision 20
hours
20 hours can be
provided by a clinical
supervisor
One or more longterm experiences in
a single facility or
practice is
Required
100 hours
1:1 supervision 40
hours
40 hours can be
provided by a clinical
supervisor
60 hours
60 hours
60 hours
100 hours will be
awarded
CAPSTONE
PROJECT
TOTAL HOURS
440
440
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Only those persons who have satisfied all requirements established by the IFBPT for
certification or registration in poetry therapy or certification as an applied poetry
facilitator and who remain in good standing with the Federation by fulfilling all
requirements for biennial credential renewal may use the trademarked professional
designations of CAPF, CPT, or PTR to advertise their services.
Before you embark on your training, you will submit a training application. Your
Certified Mentor will provide you with this form. When your training is complete you
must submit a separate application for credentialing. This will also be provided by your
mentor
Essential Elements of Poetry Therapy
The essential elements of poetry therapy training are didactic, facilitation, supervision
of facilitation, and peer experience. Training is conducted with individuals and/or
groups by a Federation-approved Certified Mentor. Be sure to note the differences in
training requirements depending on which type of training you are applying for: CAPF,
CPT, or PTR.
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Didactic: 200 hours required for CAPF, 200 hours for CPT, 250 hours
for PTR
Didactic work is the study of the theories and methods of poetry therapy. Your
Certified Mentor will guide you to develop a plan for required and additional
didactic work. This may include texts and articles, assigned exercises and activities,
and attendance at relevant conferences, workshops, lectures, classes, and intensive
seminars.
● Didactic requirement consists of required readings and additional texts and
activities specific to your interest areas.
● You are responsible for documenting your learning. Annotations of assigned
and self-directed readings, reports of educational activities, and
contemporaneous records of your time investment must be submitted to your
Certified Mentor for feedback and discussion.
● Discussions and guidance regarding case studies, texts, or hypothetical
situations during your training is considered didactic. This is considered a
Certified Mentoring service. This is not credited as supervision.
Required Didactic Texts:
Biblio/Poetry Therapy: The Interactive Process: A Handbook by Arleen Hynes and
Mary Hynes-Berry is required of all CAPFs, CPTs and PTRs. (Everyone has to
annotate, but only CAPFs must include it in their application). Then, each trainee will
select four additional texts from the list below with the guidance of their Certified
Mentor.
·
Adams, Kathleen. Journal to the Self. Grand Central Publishing, November 29, 2009.
·
Chavis, Geri and Lila Weisberger. The Healing Fountain. North Star Press,
June 30, 2003. Annotated by chapter.
·
Chavis, Geri. G. Poetry and Story Therapy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers,
March 1, 2011.
·
Fox, John. Poetic Medicine. TarcherPerigee, October 13, 1997.
·
Heller, Peggy. Word Arts Collage: A Poetry Therapy Memoir. Pudding
House Publications, January 1, 2009.
·
Hynes, Arleen and Mary Hynes-Berry. Biblio/Poetry Therapy: The
Interactive Process: A Handbook. North Star Press, January 1, 1994.
Annotated by chapter.
·
Mazza, Nicholas. J. Poetry Therapy: Theory and Practice. Brunner-Routledge, 2016.
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·
Mazza, Nicholas. J. Journal of Poetry Therapy. Taylor & Francis, Available
through membership in NAPT or by individual subscription. (minimum of 4
issues)
·
Reiter, Sherry. Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping
through Transformative Writing. North Star Press, April 1, 2009.
·
Ross, Deborah and Kathleen Adams. Your Brain on Ink: A Workbook on
Neuroplasticity and The Journal Ladder. Rowman and Littlefield Publishing
Group Inc., April 12, 2016.
Upon satisfactory completion of the required readings, a total of 45 hours will be
credited towards your didactic hours. Your Certified Mentor will attest that you
completed this reading with your credentialing application. Your Certified Mentor
will discuss the format for annotations of didactic texts with you.
Facilitation: 120 hours required for CAPF, 120 hours for CPT, 300 hours
for PTR
Facilitation of poetry therapy in your community or professional setting is your
practical work. You and your Certified Mentor will determine appropriate sites and
make arrangements for your facilitation work. Examples of sites include
rehabilitation centers, schools, senior centers, libraries, churches, prisons, hospitals,
and other clinical settings for psychiatric populations.
Documentation of facilitation, for all trainees:
● Facilitation plans and process reports must be written and retained until your
training is complete. Your facilitation plan for each session must be
submitted to your Certified Mentor prior to each session. Your process report
must be submitted for review as quickly after the session as possible.
Reviewing documents with your Certified Mentor in this way counts towards
your facilitation hours.
● Your facilitation plan will include type and number of clients present (with
identities protected), site of the experience, number of the session in a
sequence, length of the session, goal(s) for the session, choice of literature,
and plan for writing and/or other activities.
● The process report will include a narrative of participants’ responses and
interactions, your interventions, an assessment of how the literature worked,
an evaluation of goals, and your own personal response to the session, and
first thoughts about literature for the next session.
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For the CAPF: You must work with at least two different populations. You must
also provide a minimum of 30 hours of poetry therapy facilitation at one training site
or with one population.
For the CPT: You must work with at least two different populations. You are also
required to provide a minimum of 30 hours of poetry therapy facilitation at one
training site or with one population. You must provide at least three sessions for each
additional group you facilitate. You must conduct at least half of your facilitations in
clinical settings. You may also conduct individual sessions. It is recommended that
you also conduct at least 20 of your remaining hours with non-clinical populations.
For the PTR: You must work with at least three different populations in clinical
settings, and at least one non-clinical population. You are required to provide a
minimum of 30 hours of poetry therapy facilitation at one training site or with one
population. You must provide at least three sessions for each additional group you
facilitate. You must conduct at least half of your facilitations in clinical settings. You
may also conduct individual sessions. It is recommended that you also conduct at least
20 of your remaining hours with non-clinical populations.
Supervision of Facilitation: 60 hours required for CAPF, 60 hours for CPT,
100 hours for PTR
Supervision of Facilitation is provided by your Certified Mentor. It is time spent
receiving guidance and feedback regarding your facilitation plans and process
reports. Supervision may be provided by your Certified Mentor individually and/or
through facilitated group discussion. Supervision includes guidance with selection
and use of literature, goal-setting for the session and the series, activities,
interventions, record-keeping, institutional matters, boundaries, group process, and
other issues that may arise in the course of your facilitation with groups or
individuals. It is expected that your plans are submitted in writing. On your tracking
spreadsheet, log individual and group supervision hours separately.
The Federation requires that:
● CAPF trainees receive one hour of supervision of facilitation for every two
hours of facilitation. A minimum of 20 hours of the required supervision of
facilitation must be 1:1 with your Certified Mentor. The remaining hours can
be individual and/or group supervision.
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● CPT trainees receive one hour of supervision of facilitation for every three
hours of facilitation. A minimum of 20 hours of the required supervision of
facilitation hours must be 1:1 with your Certified Mentor. The remaining
hours can be individual and/or group supervision.
● PTR trainees receive one hour of supervision of facilitation for every four
hours of facilitation. A minimum of 40 hours of the required supervision of
facilitation hours must be 1:1 with your Certified Mentor. The remaining
hours can be individual and/or group supervision.
If you plan to work with a population who have specialized needs (e.g., children at
risk, prisoners, trauma survivors), you may wish to arrange to obtain a portion of
your supervision of facilitation from a Certified Mentor or other mental health
clinician who has expertise in that area. This should only be done with your primary
Certified Mentor’s agreement; s/he will help you coordinate the arrangements.
In the circumstance of working with a different CM who has expertise in a specific area, the
following hours are permitted:
● CAPF. A maximum of 10 supervision of facilitation hours
● CPT. A maximum of 20 supervision of facilitation hours
● PTR. A maximum of 40 supervision of facilitation hours
Please Note: The term supervision of facilitation, as used in this training guide
document, describes the process of a Certified Mentor's overseeing a trainee's
facilitation process and does not replace clinical supervision requirements under
one's license (if clinical) and is an educational service only regarding program
delivery.
Peer Poetry Therapy Experience: 60 hours required for CAPF, CPT,
and PTR
Peer poetry therapy experience consists of the hours you spend as a member of a
non-clinical poetry therapy group. As a group member you will have the experience
of responding personally to applied literature and of providing facilitation from time
to time. Group members MAY have the opportunity to rotate through the role of
leader, selecting materials and activities, and applying techniques, evaluating each
session, and receiving feedback from other members. If a trainee facilitates in a peer
group, the experience is still a peer experience and not facilitation. Peer experience
may also be acquired through attendance at specifically-designated programs at the
NAPT annual conference or through participation as a group member in a
developmental poetry therapy group led by a CAPF, CPT or PTR, or by a credential
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candidate in supervised training. Of these 60 hours, up to 20 hours can be acquired
through the means below.
● Up to 20 hours maximum of peer experience may be obtained through one or a
combination of these methods:
• 10 hours may be obtained with other recognized creative arts
therapists (art, music, dance, psychodrama, and play therapy).
• 10 hours may be obtained asynchronously. Asynchronous peer
experiences are defined as hours obtained through online platforms
that include posting and responding to other members during
participation.
• 20 hours may be obtained through group participation with noncredentialed individuals whose experience is rooted in poetry and
expressive writing for well-being.
It is expected that written documentation and discussion will occur with your CM
as to how these experiences inform your practice of poetry therapy.
● Your Certified Mentor must agree with this plan prior to attendance.
● Virtual peer poetry therapy experience groups are permitted. Consult your
Certified Mentor for number of allowed hours and any special requirements
regarding virtual groups.
Capstone Project (PTR only)
PTR trainees are required to complete a capstone project that has been approved by
their Certified Mentor. Projects may include contributions or achievements that
advance the profession as a whole or a specialized area of the profession. The
capstone project includes relevant study and experience which will improve your
ability to conduct poetry therapy, the results of which can be shared with the poetry
therapy community. This may include training curricula you have developed,
workshops you have presented, and/or articles you have written.
Interested in applying? Please visit our website for a list of our Certified Mentors to get
started: htps://ifbpt.org/directory-of-certified-mentors/
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