Music Therapy and Recovery in Mental Health: Seeking a Way Forward

Authors

  • Tríona McCaffrey Irish World Academy of Music & Dance University of Limerick Ireland
  • Catherine Carr Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development Queen Mary University of London United Kingdom
  • Hans Petter Solli Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital and The Norwegian Academy of Music, Bergen, Norway.
  • Cherry Hense Faculty of VCA & MCM, The University of Melbourne, Orygen, Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v18i1.918

Keywords:

Mental health, well-being, recovery, music therapy.

Abstract

As recovery is a prevailing vision for modern mental health services internationally, it is timely to consider its current state of play in relation to music therapy practice. This paper offers a theoretical perspective of this topic, by presenting the views of four music therapy researchers situated in Australia, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Each of the four authors completed doctoral research in music therapy in the past three years that is explicitly about, or related to, recovery in mental health. Collectively all authors have considerable experience of providing individual and group music therapy services in acute and community settings with adults and adolescents within recovery-oriented services. This article aims to elaborate on the implications of music therapy as a recovery-oriented practice, while presenting recommendations as to how music therapy can maximize support for recovery for our patients and service users. It draws on our respective doctoral study findings and lived experience of offering music therapy in recovery-oriented services, so as to present a collective theoretical perspective to other music therapy practitioners who are interested in this growing area. By doing so we hope to encourage discussion and response from music therapists practising in various mental health contexts in the service of developing the best possible music therapy services to our patients and service users.

Author Biographies

Tríona McCaffrey, Irish World Academy of Music & Dance University of Limerick Ireland

Tríona McCaffrey (PhD) is Lecturer in Music Therapy at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Limerick. Together with Catherine Carr, Hans Petter Solli and Cherry Hense, she has founded the Alliance for Recovery Research in Music Therapy. This is the first international research group dedicated to the topic of music therapy and mental health recovery.

Catherine Carr, Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development Queen Mary University of London United Kingdom

Catherine Carr (PhD) is an HEE/NIHR Clinical Lecturer and researcher at Queen Mary University of London and East London NHS Foundation Trust. She works as a music therapist in mental health care of older people and her research areas include music therapy in acute mental health care. Catherine Carr is funded by a National Institute for Health and Health Education England Clinical Lectureship. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

Hans Petter Solli, Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital and The Norwegian Academy of Music, Bergen, Norway.

Hans Petter Solli (PhD) is a post-doctoral research fellow and Associate Professor II at the Norwegian Academy of Music and music therapist at Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital. He has 20 years of clinical practice from mental health care, and his research focuses on psychosis, user-perspective and recovery.

Cherry Hense, Faculty of VCA & MCM, The University of Melbourne, Orygen, Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne

Cherry Hense (PhD) is a post-doctoral research fellow and music therapist. Her work focuses on young people’s music use during experiences of mental illness and recovery.

Published

2018-01-08

How to Cite

McCaffrey, T., Carr, C., Solli, H. P., & Hense, C. (2018). Music Therapy and Recovery in Mental Health: Seeking a Way Forward. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v18i1.918

Issue

Section

Position Papers