Resources & references

A study documenting the practice of three Canadian music therapists who specialize in adolescent mental health. They share their experience, discuss goals within single-session open groups and program structures in brief therapy and the professional skills required for this work.

Read a study investigating the impact of different music therapy session frequencies on stress, anxiety, depression and life satisfaction in psychiatric inpatients. Results found positive effects in both the lower frequency and the higher frequency groups, with a greater benefit on stress reduction for the higher frequency group.

University of Louisville (UofL) Health is integrating music therapy into its care plan for inpatient psychiatric patients at UofL Hospital. This video introduces you to Katelyn Farris, the music therapist who is helping patients relax and recover through the soothing sounds of music.

This research article presents a case study of an adult man with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who participated in music therapy sessions. The results determined that music improvisation improved affect regulation, exploration of trauma-related issues, and self-agency.

A music therapy program piloted in a British Columbia mental health clubhouse in 1997 and later expanded to group homes was originally shown to promote rehabilitation through a client-centered empowerment model. This article updates the program’s status 20 years later with new data.

Listen to music therapist Calli Puko describe her work with adolescents in behavioural health. 

This informational page from the Music Therapy Association of British-Columbia provides an overview of music therapy practices in a mental health context. It describes why music therapy may be effective in addressing mental health needs, lists examples of mental illnesses where music therapy can help, presents different approaches and activities that can be used, and provides literature supporting the use of music therapy for mental health.

A research paper offering theoretical perspectives from music therapy researchers around the world on the implications of music therapy as a recovery-oriented practice in mental health and recommendations to maximize support for recovery of mental health patients.

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.

This thesis details a qualitative study on music therapy process resulting in the new concept of musico-relational competence. The project began with an exploration of music processes in the context of outpatient adult psychiatry. An ethnographic and ethnomusicological approach to the analysis of the video data (including music analysis) is used, focusing on the meaning making process of participants in the study.

Les Impatients is an organization that helps people living with mental health problems, offering art-based services. With Dany Bouchard, a certified music therapist, and people participating in his group music therapy sessions, the reporter Alexandre Courteau explored this discipline and shared some participants' testimonies on how music therapy has changed their life.

This study explores the experiences of music therapists working with adults in mental health settings across Quebec, both in the community and in hospitals. It highlights their reflections and recommendations to support the expansion of music therapy services in mental health.