Towards Creating an International Network of Hospitals Using Music Therapy
We also expect to benefit considerably from the exchange of experiences between the member hospitals of the international network of hospitals applying music therapy in rehabilitation, which is currently in the process of formation.
Using the experience and the personal contacts gained in the period when the Silesian Centre of Rehabilitation was involved in the WHO project Health Promoting Pilot Hospital we established contacts with Raymond McCartney - the Director of Business Services at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, Northern Ireland - who had earlier expressed his willingness to set up cooperation in the area of art therapy. It is estimated that the most common of the arts used in therapy include the following: music therapy, dance therapy, visual arts therapy (painting, carving, graphic arts) and drama.
The cooperative project envisages creating a small network of European hospitals which use music and other arts as a remedy to be used in therapy and rehabilitation. The project also allows for participation of those hospitals which are in the phase of considering the introduction of the arts into therapy. These hospitals will develop art therapy within the project framework. There is scope for involving hospitals from outside Europe into the project.
The first stage involves finding partners for participation in the project. In addition to the previously mentioned Altnagelvin Hospital, other health care institutions have declared preliminary, their willingness to take part in the project. These include the Rehabilitation Hospital of St. Irmingard in Germany (prof. Klaus Dieter Hulleman), the Beskid Rehabilitation Centre in Czeladna, The Czech Republic (dr Milan Bajger) and the Department of Music therapy at the University of Witten-Herdecken (prof. Dawid Aldridge). We have also established contact with dr Wita Szulc - Chairperson of the Association of Polish Art Therapists "Kajros", who also represents Poland in the European Music Therapy Confederation. We hope that dr Wita Szulc will be able to share her experience with us, gained internationally in the area of art and music therapy.
Further steps will involve constructing a framework of tasks for realisation, which will qualify the hospital for participation in the project as well as formulating a common system for evaluation of the project results. There will be a need for work meetings as well as guest visits in the hospitals taking part in the project. The project implies individual or team presentations at scientific conferences. After completion of the project, which is planned for the period of 2 - 3 years, attempts will be made to present the project results in a publication with view to supporting all those who will want to work for the development of this method of therapy. We still invite very warmly another partners to our project.
Contacts
Dr Zbigniew Eysymontt (Director), email: zeys@iq.net.pl
Mgr Sebastian Mucha (Musictherapist), email: sebmuzi@interia.pl
How to cite this page
Mucha, Sebastian & Eysymontt, Zbigniew(2005). Towards Creating an International Network of Hospitals Using Music Therapy. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=country/monthpoland_august2005_3
