Music therapy in a recovery-oriented unit. A qualitative study of user's and staff's experiences with music therapy in mental health care

Abstract

Service provision within mental health care is shifting toward services that maximize personal recovery. In a Norwegian context, national treatment guidelines have recently recommended that music therapy be part of such service provision. This study explores the implementation of music therapy in a recovery-oriented unit of a community mental health institution. Users and staff were invited to participate in focus groups with the intention of gaining knowledge about how music therapy fits in with, and contributes to, the overall service provision while supporting recovery. The findings document aspects of how music therapy can support personal recovery, adds to the service provision as a distinctive therapeutic alternative, and interacts with other treatment options on the unit. In sum, participants' experiences with music therapy within this specific facility highlight music therapy's role as a potential resource that contributes to recovery-oriented service provision.