Music Therapy During End-of-life Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Reflections from Early Clinical Practice in Colombia

Authors

  • Mark Ettenberger SONO - Centro de Musicoterapia; Universidad Nacional de Colombia;

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v17i2.921

Keywords:

end-of-life care, music therapy, NICU, preterm infants, palliative care, family-centred care, Colombia

Abstract

Music therapy during end-of-life care has become an increasingly applied therapeutic option for a broad range of populations in a variety of settings. While music therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a well-established field of clinical research and practice, there is a lack of literature that specifically addresses issues related to end-of-life care in this setting. In this article, the author aims to reflect upon some of the potentials, difficulties, and challenges when accompanying babies and their families during their last stages of life in the NICU. Three case vignettes will be described in order to exemplify aspects related to rituality, culture, memory making, and family-centred care. It is hoped that these case studies prompt the exchange of ideas and experiences among music therapists and other health care professionals concerned with end-of-life care in the NICU.

Author Biography

Mark Ettenberger, SONO - Centro de Musicoterapia; Universidad Nacional de Colombia;

Mark is an Ethno-Music Therapist from Austria (Institute for Ethno-Music Therapy) with a PhD in Music Therapy from Anglia Ruskin University, England. He trained as a Neonatal Music Therapist at the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine, USA, and holds a MA in Peace and Development Studies, UNESCO-Chair of Philosophy for Peace, University Jaume I, Spain. He is the director of SONO – Centro de Musicoterapia (www.sono.la), a lecturer at the MA in Music Therapy at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the coordinator of the music therapy department at the Hospital Centro Policlínico del Olaya, the Hospital Clínica de la Mujer and the Hospital Fundación Santa Fe.

Published

2017-06-13

How to Cite

Ettenberger, M. (2017). Music Therapy During End-of-life Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Reflections from Early Clinical Practice in Colombia. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v17i2.921

Issue

Section

Reflections on Practice