Music therapy in psychiatry today – do we need specialization based on the reduction of diagnosis-specific symptoms or on the overall development of patients’ resources? Or do we need both?

Abstract

A growing specialization has been developed in psychiatric institutions indicating that staff members specialize in one diagnosis. Music therapists are on the one hand asked to formulate diagnosis-specific treatment models, while on the other hand music therapy is recognized to both provide quality of life and different resources across diagnoses.

I think we need to be aware of these different expectations and identifications of our profession, and to find a way to practice, research, present and sell our profession in the area of psychiatry which is inclusive. I think we need to be both clinically specialized and both psychodynamic and existentially oriented in our contribution to psychiatric treatment.

Cochrane reviews show that music therapy has a significant impact on reduction of negative symptoms for patients suffering from schizophrenia. The reasons for this positive treatment outcome are in the literature related to music therapists’ overall attitudes and relational competencies in their work which also provide quality of life and resources for these patients. This essay, which is based on my keynote presentation at the 7th Nordic Music Therapy Congress, in Jyväskylä, June 2012, discusses this dual nature of music therapy practice and research in psychiatry, primarily in Scandinavia. Ideas for building bridges between the two perspectives are offered and an excerpt from practice illustrates these integrative ideas.

Keywords:

• music therapy
• psychiatry
• diagnosis-specific methods
• building bridges

Notes

1. Lars Thorgaard, Head Psychiatrist at Herning Psychiatric Hospital, Denmark and teaching at Aarhus University Hospital. He unfortunately passed away in 2010. Ejvind Haga, Head PSychiatrist working in Stavanger, PAFFMUA (Psykiatrisk Avdelings Forum for Miljøterapeutisk UtviklingsArbeid), Stavanger.

2. Aron Antonowsky 1923–1994. Professor of medical sociology at Ben Gurion University of Negav, Beersheba. Israel.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Inge Nygaard Pedersen

Inge Nygaard Pedersen, MA (Music Science), Dipl. Music Therapist (AMT), PhD, is a GIM fellow, trained supervisor, and professor with special tasks at Aalborg University, Denmark. She was head of the music therapy programme from 1982 to 1995. Since 1995 she is the head of the Music Therapy Clinic, an integrated research clinic within Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg University. She has 30 years of clinical practice in psychiatry and in counselling work in private practice. Her research interests include therapist/patient relationship in music therapy in psychiatry, supervision and music therapy students’ experiential training. She has comprehensively published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and co-authored three books. Her current research activities include (1) music therapy in psychiatry, with a specific focus on music therapy with people suffering from schizophrenia – reducing negative symptoms, (2) application of music and art in supervision practice and (3) self-experiential training for music therapy students – the Aalborg Model.