Development of the music therapy profession in Latvia

Abstract

Music therapy is a new profession in healthcare in Latvia. There have been some initial difficulties in the establishment of the profession in this country. The author has been actively involved since the beginning of the development of the Latvian Music Therapy Foundation. She has studied and taught on the Music Therapy programme in Latvia. She has also established and managed the Music Therapy Foundation and the Latvian Music Therapy Association. The author’s personal experience, therefore, successfully portrays the academic and clinical development of music therapy in a European country where it is acknowledged as a medical profession according to the Medical Law of the Republic of Latvia.