Musical Interventions in Group Work with Chemically Dependent Populations

Abstract

Group workers with varied levels of musical knowledge and skill can effectively employ musical interventions to engage clients, facilitate discussion of emotional topics, and enhance group cohesion. This article reviews the literature regarding the application of musical interventions, describes several methods for using musical interventions with the chemically dependent population, shares the experience of a generalist social worker employing musical interventions with groups of chemically dependent clients in a hospital-based treatment setting, and makes recommendations for utilizing this modality with other social work populations.

Keywords:

• chemical dependency treatment
• addiction
• music
• musical intervention
• group work with addictions