Music therapy is a useful form of therapy for those with mental health such as anxiety disorders, depression, bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia to name a few. Some of the key areas of focus in music therapy with these individuals include:
- To decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety, and agitation
- To enhance connection and engagement with others and their environment
- To enhance creative and self-expression through indication of meaningful thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
I have been working at the Providence Care Seniors Mental Health Unit since the summer of 2011 as a student music therapist and since completing my degree in music therapy in 2013. Clients often begin sessions agitated and anxious or non-responsive. During music therapy experiences clients have been affected positively and become engaged.
I believe music therapy is such a great fit for the Seniors Mental Health Unit because this population is unique in that clients have dementia and mental health. These clients may not have the ability or have difficulty communicating and connecting with individuals around them. As music has the capacity to initiate communication without the need for words this becomes an extremely meaningful experience for the clients here. It can also elicit especially strong emotional and physical responses in us, and as a result, is an effective therapeutic tool.
Some people think that because they aren’t musical, they won’t benefit from music therapy but that simply isn’t the case. In music therapy we don’t focus on the product of the music but rather the process. It is music’s ability to connect with our emotions, memories, thoughts, and ideas that brings about positive change, not our personal musical abilities and skills.