Resources & references

This article presents three cases of military members, ex-child soldiers, and veterans in telehealth music therapy, showing positive responses and reductions in pain, anxiety, and depression, alongside key clinical, ethical, and technological insights.

This case report highlights how neurologic music therapy supported the interdisciplinary rehabilitation of a severely injured American service member, improving physical, cognitive, speech, and language skills while offering emotional support.

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 literature review examines music therapy treatment with active military service members and veterans. Common session formats and music experiences, the development of music therapy as a a profession, and gaps within the current body of research are discussed.

This fact sheet, developed by the American Music Therapy Association, describes how music therapy is effective in supporting military service members and veterans. It describes how active and receptive music experiences can address physical, cognitive, communication, social, and emotional goals.

This chapter of the book Music and War in the United States offers a definition of music therapy and a brief history of the music therapy profession. It incudes a detailed review of the long history of using music therapy within the American military.

Click here to view the full book.

This article reviews existing research on the use of music therapy to support veterans and military personnel. It identifies primary music therapy techniques utilized in the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to best meet their broad and complex needs.

Read about the feasibility of online sessions within the creative art therapies through three case studies of veterans who received either art therapy, dance/movement therapy or music therapy . Sessions were held via in-home, synchronous clinical video telehealth.

Air Force veteran Christopher Smith shares how music therapy helped him deal with the anxiety of almost losing his eyesight. Through drumming and singing, he found a way of coping with PTSD.

Watch Trish MacAulay, a certified music therapist, lead a group music therapy session for veterans. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the group aimed to enhance social interaction and improve wellbeing.

Click here to learn more about how music therapy can improve veterans's quality of life.