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Objectives: This opinion paper aims to provide an overview of the current evidence base supporting the use of music therapy in mental health care. It also aims to offer critique on the issue of access to music therapy in Australia. Conclusions: There is a strong evidence base for music therapy to provide symptomatic relief and improve quality of life for people living with mental illness. However, music therapy is underfunded and framed as a supplementary service within mental health services in Australia, which limits its access to consumers. Funding music therapy as an evidence-based treatment option would fill an existing service gap and provide equitable access to a cost-effective and often consumer preferred treatment option for mental health consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of this study aimed to reduce post-meal related anxiety for people with eating disorders through participation in group music therapy in an outpatient day program. A purposively-inclusive pilot study design was adopted which utilized the self-report Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) to measure anxiety pre and post a single session. A total of 13 female participants attended a one-hour music therapy group session following a lunchtime social eating challenge and contributed to 50 occasions of data collection. A paired two-tailed t-test indicated a highly statistically significant difference (p = < 0.0001) between the pre and post session scores, suggesting that music therapy significantly decreased anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Music therapy programs are increasingly common and necessary in mental health services. However, there is little knowledge of the key factors which influence the successful implementation of new therapeutic programs. The purpose of this paper is to explore how stakeholder input influenced the implementation and sustainability of a new music therapy program in four services within a large government funded mental health department in Melbourne, Australia.Design/methodology/approach For a period of 12 months, two cycles of assessment, action and evaluation were conducted where data were collected through interviews with staff members, feedback from consumers and attendance in sessions.Findings A number of influential factors were identified as important in the successful implementation and future sustainability of the music therapy program. These included: the degree of staff support received; how the program was structured and facilitated; promotion of the program within the service; evaluation of the program; and congruence with the existing therapeutic program.Research limitations/implications Results suggest that successful implementation and future sustainability of a music therapy program is dependent on the flexibility of the program to the context and culture of the existing setting.Originality/value This is the first study to incorporate contributions from stakeholders in the implementation of a new music therapy program in a mental health service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small number of papers indicate that music therapists are interested in how their work is perceived by other healthcare professionals. The research reported in this paper examined assumptions and expectations of music therapy by mental health professionals in order to understand better how music therapists might use effective strategies to empower greater knowledge of their practice and services. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven clinical staff members of an acute mental health facility that did not have music therapy. Data were analyzed via the six phases of thematic analysis. Member checking and trustworthiness were also used. Guided by the interplay between the user, music, and music therapist that conceptualizes music therapy, we identified five emerging themes concerning assumptions and expectations of music therapy: 1) the client – potential benefits to service users, perceptions of the appropriate service user ‘type;’ 2) the music therapist – unawareness of the music therapy as an established profession with required training and skills; 3) the music – types of music ideal for therapeutic impact; 4) music therapy – treatment expectations; and 5) the context – music therapy would augment and complement existing psychosocial treatment programming. Participants tended to be unfamiliar with most aspects of music therapy and continued education and advocacy are warranted. Emerging themes can provide a framework for information to be included within educational in-services. Suggestions for future research, limitations, and implications for music therapists are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music therapy has previously been identified as a way to foster processes of mental health recovery. However, little is known about the specific factors apparent in group singing which can promote recovery. The current project aimed to address this gap by exploring the conditional and contextual factors involved in group singing which may promote recovery for people with mental illness. Adults who were in mental health recovery were recruited from a number of different singing groups in inpatient and community mental health contexts around Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-three people participated in interviews, and a grounded theory approach was adopted for analysis. The findings of this study are presented as a grounded theory of group singing which describes how participants experienced triggering encounters with music, and used the supportive conditions of the group singing context to regain a sense of health. A new term, musical recovery, was developed which depicts a process of regaining healthy relationships with music to promote mental health recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore four mental health consumers' experiences of completing self-report outcome measures in a research project. Participants were recruited from a community mental health organisation in Melbourne and were interviewed upon completion of a mixed methods research study where they were asked to complete a series of self-report outcome measures. Descriptive phenomenological micro-analysis was used to analyse interview data and is presented along with the researchers' observations during the data collection process. Results revealed that participants found the outcome measures cognitively challenging and the language used in the measures did not support the empowering intentions of mental health recovery. The authors suggest that the value of completing surveys for people with severe mental illness needs to be carefully considered so that the research process does not diminish other benefits of participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To critically examine the self-report measures most commonly used in Australian mental health research in the last 10 years.Method: A critical interpretive synthesis was conducted using seven outcome measures that were identified as most popular in 43 studies from three mental health journals.Results: Results suggest that the amount and type of language used in outcome measures is important in both increasing the accuracy of the data collected and fostering positive experiences of data collection for participants.Conclusions: Results indicate that many of the measures most often used in Australian mental health research may not align with the current contemporary philosophy of mental health clinical practice in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well known that mealtime is anxiety provoking for patients with Anorexia Nervosa. However, there is little research into effective interventions for reducing meal related anxiety in an inpatient setting. Methods: This study compared the levels of distress and anxiety of patients with Anorexia Nervosa pre and post music therapy, in comparison to standard post meal support therapy. Data was collected using the Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) scale which was administered pre and post each condition. Results: A total of 89 intervention and 84 control sessions were recorded. Results from an unpaired t-test analysis indicated statistically significant differences between the music therapy and supported meal conditions. Conclusions: Results indicated that participation in music therapy significantly decreases post meal related anxiety and distress in comparison to standard post meal support therapy. This research provides support for the use of music therapy in this setting as an effective clinical intervention in reducing meal related anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well known that mealtime is anxiety provoking for patients with Anorexia Nervosa. However, there is little research into effective interventions for reducing meal related anxiety in an inpatient setting. Methods: This study compared the levels of distress and anxiety of patients with Anorexia Nervosa pre and post music therapy, in comparison to standard post meal support therapy. Data was collected using the Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) scale which was administered pre and post each condition. Results: A total of 89 intervention and 84 control sessions were recorded. Results from an unpaired t-test analysis indicated statistically significant differences between the music therapy and supported meal conditions. Conclusions: Results indicated that participation in music therapy significantly decreases post meal related anxiety and distress in comparison to standard post meal support therapy. This research provides support for the use of music therapy in this setting as an effective clinical intervention in reducing meal related anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of collaborative group facilitation between therapists and peer workers in mental health. A case study of co-practice between a music therapist and a peer worker is used to illustrate how lived experience expertise can enrich and complement therapeutic groups. The paper aims to begin a discussion around collaborative group facilitation within mental health practice and to advocate for continued development of collaborative practice between peer workers and therapists. Experiences of collaboration are explored through the case study provided using a synthesis of the authors' reflections and dialogue. The importance of role negotiation, role definition, and open communication around changing roles and boundaries are discussed as key considerations for beginning collaborations, as well as the establishment and maintenance of a foundation of trust and support within the working relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Using music therapy as a resource for restoring healthy relationships with music during mental health recovery," by Jennifer Bibb is presented.