Celebrating Music Therapy Week

10 Apr 25

10 - 15 April is Music Therapy Week. It is a time to celebrate and reflect on the powerful impact that music can have on our mental health and wellbeing.

At HPFT, music therapy is currently offered to adults with a learning disability in Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire as part of the community specialist healthcare teams.

A collage of two images. The left image shows hands playing on three drums. The right image displays various percussion instruments on a table, including a xylophone, tambourine, maracas, and other small percussion instruments and drums.

Music therapy is about exploring different ways of being with yourself and others through music and sound. The therapist is there to support you in thinking about different ways of communicating and relating through music and words – you do not need to know how to play any musical instruments or to be able to sing to benefit from music therapy.

The image shows three musical instruments: a xylophone with metal bars and red mallets, a wooden percussion instrument, and a drum.

One of our music therapists shares an incredible story of a service user that found solace in music therapy:

“Music therapy can play an amazing role in healing.

“A person with a moderate learning disability, autism, and limited verbal language was referred to music therapy following the loss of their father.

“At first, expressing their grief or even mentioning their father was incredibly difficult. However, through music therapy, they gradually found a way to process their emotions.

“Using musical improvisation and songwriting, we explored memories of their father. Over time, they became more comfortable with sharing these moments, and we used them to design a personal song with their father’s name in the lyrics. This helped them to process their grief in a structured yet deeply personal way.

“Through music, they discovered a safe and expressive outlet for their emotions – it helped them to honour their father’s memory and navigate bereavement at their own pace.”

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Celebrating Music Therapy Week