Resources & references

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a songwriting intervention on psychiatric patients' knowledge of coping skills and working alliance. It seems that group songwriting about coping skills can be as effective a psychosocial intervention as traditional talk-based psychoeducation to teach psychiatric inpatients how to proactively manage their illness. Additionally, music therapy can be as effective as talk-based psychoeducation in establishing working alliance. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

This story explores Jorien Habing's research examining the role of songwriting to help individuals who have acquired blindness or visual impairment adjust to their new reality. 

The purpose of this investigation was to systematically review and analyze the existent music therapy literature addressing psychosocial needs of informal caregivers. Three categories were developed to sort and synthesize the literature including articles with interventions targeting joint informal caregiver (ICV) and care receiver (CR) participation, ICG specific participation, and CR specific participation. Most studies utilized an experimental design and incorporated a variety of active music therapy techniques in a group format or songwriting.

Read a thesis paper on the potential uses of songwriting in a music therapy context to assist women who have experienced unplanned pregnancy loss through the grief process. 

Watch how music therapist Betsy Hartman supports children with cancer in a pediatric hospital setting.

This article describes the experience of a registered music therapist who offered music therapy services to an older adult with early onset dementia. It provides clinical examples of what music therapy is and how it can improve the quality of life of older adults.