Original studyPsychreg Journal of Psychology, 2018Read the paper →
People held in secure psychiatric hospitals often have long histories of trauma and violence, and many find it hard to talk about their feelings. Music can sometimes reach them where words fail. An interview with a leading forensic music therapist explains how the approach works.
The interview took place at the Freud Museum in London in April 2017 and was carried out by the editor of Psychreg Journal of Psychology. The therapist is the author of The Clinician’s Guide to Forensic Music Therapy and spent 20 years working in the NHS.
She describes herself as a former professional oboist who trained as a music therapist after a life-threatening illness. A placement in intensive care psychiatry and on an adolescent unit convinced her she had found her calling. She chose to work in a secure hospital because it offered the chance to carry out research.
Forensic music therapy is music therapy for people in the criminal justice and secure hospital systems, often with serious mental illness. Cognitive analytic therapy is a short-term talking therapy that looks at patterns in how people relate to themselves and others. Her research combined the two and won the 2016 Ruskin Medal for impactful doctoral research.
Her model, cognitive analytic music therapy, centres on improvised music made jointly by patient and therapist, even for people who have never played an instrument. In her trial, secure hospital patients who received it in groups on top of standard care became more sociable, had fewer risk incidents, and moved on from high secure care more quickly at two years. She says a larger trial across several centres is now needed.
She now runs a private practice and treats people with anxiety and depression, young people who have suffered abuse or self-harmed, and stressed parents and business people. She also treats performing artists, often funded by music charities, and says she understands their difficulties because she has been there herself.
She notes that the performing arts demand lengthy hours and total focus, much like elite sport. Alcohol and drug use are common and damaging, so much of her work deals with substance misuse. She has also returned to working with people recovering from cancer.
The interview has clear limits. It reflects one practitioner’s experience and views and her trial results are described only briefly, without full data. A larger trial would be needed to confirm them.
Music therapy is offered in many NHS services and is regulated as an arts therapy in the UK. This interview gives a personal account of how it is being used with some of the hardest groups to reach.
