A music therapy approach in mental health

The article aims to describe an approach to music therapy in mental health. It looks at the work of a music therapist who is based in a psychiatric hospital but works in community based units such as a Day Clinic and Young People's Unit in Cambridge. It also aims to make some general points about music therapy in this field in Britain, based on historical and theoretical perspectives in the literature; and on discussions with other music therapists. The discussions with other music therapists led to the production of a document "Music Therapy and Mental Health" (1986) which also acts as a source for this article. The clinical material which illustrates a specific approach taken in Cambridge is drawn from a group run over a period of four years at the Cambridge Day Clinic.