Resources & references

This fact sheet from the American Music Therapy Association provides information about music therapy practices for adults with mental health and substance use challenges. This page provides information on relevant definitions and statistics, the types of mental health settings in which music therapists work, potential outcomes of music therapy, contraindications for music therapy, the clinical process, and effectiveness research.

In this video, an incredible family shares their story of how Music Therapy at Camp Kerry improved their lives after the death of their loved one.

This video features an interview with music therapist Heather Fellows. She discusses the ways in which music therapy can assist those faced with  grief to learn how to process, cope and walk through the journey of bereavement.

This article examines the therapeutic benefits of music therapy for palliative care patients experiencing physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual distress. Findings suggest that music therapy offers a cost-effective, nonpharmacological approach to relieving symptoms among pallative care patients and supporting healthcare providers.

This study reviews existing research to compare the effects of music therapy in addition to standard care versus standard care alone, or to standard care plus an active control intervention, on psychological symptoms, substance craving, motivation for treatment, and motivation to stay clean/sober.

This article describes current practices on the use of music therapy to support individuals with trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It reviews current studies to determine how music therapy can provide emotional support, regulate emotions, reduce anxiety and isolation, and elevate mood. 

This study examined the effects of music therapy on physiological and psychological stress outcomes and tested potential moderators. The results indicated a medium-to-large overall effect of music therapy on stress-related outcomes.

The objectives of the study were: i) to describe the characteristics and effectiveness of music therapy interventions which aim to improve health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness, and ii) to describe the experience of music therapy for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness. Conclusion: qualitative studies provide moderate to strong evidence for improved health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness pre-bereavement. 

At McGuire VA Medical Center, Hope Kumme, a certified music therapist, uses music to help veterans with PTSD and other chronic ailments. Learn how group music therapy sessions have helped clients improve pain management, mood, and quality of life.

This article describes a qualitative single-case study of the treatment of a woman having problems with grief and finding a personal identity. The music therapist used several techniques of improvisation to support the client's cautious steps into a new musical and a new personal world.

This paper updates an earlier review that encouraged the music therapy community to continuing investigating the efficacy of music therapy in treatment of substance abuse. 12 studies met inclusion for this review. The most common music therapy method to be investigated was lyric analysis, followed by music and imagery methods, and then songwriting. Recommendations include suggestions for reducing bias in future studies and continued research.

Certified music therapist and researcher Laurel Young discusses her clinical work and research on music therapy in bereavement care and offers recommendations for future practice and research.