What is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is an established psychological clinical intervention, delivered by HCPC registered music therapists to help people whose lives have been affected by injury, illness or disability through supporting their psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative and social needs. - British Association for Music Therapy
Music therapists are required to register and be accredited by relevant professional bodies in different countries. Registered music therapist have an academic degree from institutions.
Music therapy treatment is personalised to help the client communicate and express themselves. Assessment will be conducted prior to sessions to identify strengths and need of each client.
In sessions, music is used within a professional therapeutic relationship to address an individual’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs – and ultimately improve quality of life.
What is Psychotherapeutic Counselling?
What distinguishes psychotherapeutic counselling from traditional counselling is the emphasis it places on the in-depth therapeutic relationship jointly created by the therapist and the client. This relationship is a central factor. - United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy
There are two main types of counselling.
The first one is ‘support’ which tends to be short-term (but not always) and tends towards a solution focused approach.
The second is ‘therapeutic’ or ‘psychotherapeutic’ which are usually more medium to long-term. Psychotherapeutic is akin to depth psychotherapy - a journey of the whole self including body, feelings, and mind. A person-centred approach is adopted to help the client understand and express one's true self.
FAQ
Who is Music Therapy for?
・ Neonatal Care
・ Special Educational Needs (Developmental Delay, ADHD etc)
・ Autism Spectrum Disorder
・ Cancer Patients
・ Mental Illness (Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Addiction etc)
・ Stroke
・ Dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease etc)
・ Palliative Care
What can Music Therapy treat?
Cognitive
- develop, strengthen and maintain cognitive functioning
Social
- learning and maintained of social skills through non-verabl medium
Communication
- non-verbabl means of communication and speech rehabilitation (NMT)
Physical
- stimulate motor parts of the brain and pain relieve
Emotional
- self-expression with verbal and non-verbal means
What is it like in a Music Therapy session?
Improvisation
- spontaneous engagement with music to connect with others via a non-verbal medium
Creation
- writing songs and creating music with therapist to express emotions
- sing or play a familiar song in a new way as a basis for spontaneous interaction
Receptive music
- listen to music selected by therapist to induce muscle relaxation and address emotional issues
Emotional
- self-expression with verbal and non-verbal means
Do I have to be musical to join a session?
The simple answer is no. You do not need to have any musical experience to take part in a music therapy session. You can select from a wide variety of musical instruments that sound good the first time and play them without any prior experience while having a great time. The therapist will support your playing and create a space for you to learn, express and develop.