Resources & references

This research study interviews  experienced music therapists of diverse cultural backgrounds. The results provide recommendations on how to build safety in the therapeutic relationship among children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.

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.

This fact sheet from the American Music Therapy Association provides information about music therapy practices for substance abuse recovery. This page provides information on potential outcomes of music therapy, contraindications for music therapy, the clinical process, research areas, and a client testimonial.

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.

This research paper offers a theoretical perspective of recovery as an integral part of modern mental health services. It presents the views of four music therapy researchers situated in Australia, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. This article elaborates on the implications of music therapy as a recovery-oriented practice and includes recommendations to maximize support for recovery of mental health patients.

This video features a presentation by Dr. Laurel Young, PhD, MTA, about music therapy in bereavement care. This presentation provides an overview of music therapy in bereavement care. Dr. Young will review existing literature and share examples from her own clinical work and research. She also makes recommendations for future practice and research. 

This article explains how music therapy can help people cope with grief in a variety of ways. It can help create connection with a deceased loved one. It can help those grieving to explore spirituality (hope and meaning in life) and deal with challenging emotions. Many people have an intimate connection to the songs that have helped them through bereavement.

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 Utah Music Therapist Heather Fellows, SCMT, MT-BC. 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 investigates the therapeutic effects of music therapy for individuals in palliative care facing physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual challenges.

This is a Cochrane Review (intervention) addressing music therapy for people with substance use disorders. The objective was to compare the effect 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. The review outlines the search methods, selection criteria, data collection and analysis, results, and the authors' conclusions.