Music-centred psychotherapy for adults with mood and anxiety disorders: A programme evaluation

Abstract

This paper outlines the creation and programme evaluation of a music therapy group for adults within an inpatient mood and anxiety disorder treatment programme in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The author first discusses the process involved in programme development and facilitation of a four-session closed group framework of resource-oriented and music-centred psychotherapy. The author then presents the results from a programme  evaluation that included 154 patients, elucidating lived experiences from the music therapy group. Quantitative results trace patients’ perceptions of music therapy’s impact within the domains of mood, anxiety, interpersonal connections, expression, and musical resource development. Qualitative themes explore patients’ experiences in music therapy in the areas of lightness and depth, interpersonal connections, relationships to music, and trying something new. Patients’ lived experiences and perceptions of the group’s impact validate that music therapy can invite in-depth therapeutic process while also developing and celebrating patients’ resourceful use of music in their everyday lives.