Music Therapy

Written by Hina Mukesh

Today, increased awareness and emphasis placed on mental health have made individuals more willing to seek psychologists for help. Psychologists use various therapies to help individuals achieve psychological well-being. A well-established form of therapy is psychotherapy. According to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH, 2025) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH, 2025), psychotherapy aims to help individuals who seek help for psychological issues gain a better understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through a collaborative process with a trained therapist. Such therapy provides a space where clients can raise concerns about their mental health to their therapists. Clients’ understanding of how such therapies work can aid in the development of effective coping strategies, leading to better functioning and enhanced psychosocial well-being (SGH, 2025; IMH, 2025). 

There are various types of psychotherapy that can be used to help individuals who seek help for their psychological issues achieve psychological wellbeing. Such therapies include group therapy, psychodynamic therapy, art therapy, individual therapy, and music therapy (IMH, 2025). This article will focus on music therapy: what it is, who it is for, and how it helps individuals who seek help for their psychological issues achieve psychological well-being.

What is music therapy?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA, 2018), music therapy includes but is not limited to: “singing, writing music, performing music, listening to music, and lyric analysis”. The APA (2018) states that music therapy can be used in on-going treatment or rehabilitation. The goal of music therapy is to improve the client’s biopsychosocial wellbeing. 

However, it is important to note that music therapy and therapeutic music are different. According to Cleveland Clinic (2023), there are several key distinctions between the two components. Therapeutic music helps individuals relax or elevate their moods by listening to songs of their choice. It aids pain and recovery when facing hurtful and difficult events. In addition, it does not require a music therapist to aid the healing process. However, the same cannot be said for music therapy. In music therapy, a music therapist is tasked with creating a treatment plan for each client, curating sessions with specific goals. Music therapists will also teach clients how music therapy can benefit them and how they can practice it outside their therapy sessions. 

Who is music therapy for?

Just like any other form of therapy, music therapy can be beneficial to everyone. It can also aid those suffering from:

• Dementia

• Traumatic brain injuries

• Stroke

• Parkinson’s disease

• Cancer

• Autism spectrum disorder

• Mood disorder

• Anxiety disorders

• Learning disabilities

• Developmental disabilities

• Acute and chronic pain

• Substance use disorders (Cleveland Clinic, 2023, para. 4)

Individuals do not need to be musically inclined to have a successful music therapy session (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). A successful session can be achieved regardless of the individual’s prior experience with music. During music therapy, music therapists will learn more about their clients’ music background and use that information to create sessions specifically tailored to each client’s needs and level of knowledge in music.  

How does music therapy help individuals?

While music therapy can be used to help individuals facing various psychological issues, the question to ask is ‘How does music therapy help these individuals?’ This part of the article will discuss how different techniques used in music therapy can help individuals. 

Individuals who struggle with anxiety are often uncomfortable with unpredictability or a lack of control over their future (Kienzler et al., 2025). Individuals undergoing music therapy to help with their anxiety issues can be introduced to a strategy called music improvisation. In music improvisation, these individuals are asked to spontaneously create music in the moment through song writing and using a variety of instruments presented to them (Coombes, 2019). This technique helps individuals accept factors they cannot control, and focus instead on what they can. Besides improvisation, there are other strategies in music therapy that can help individuals cope with anxiety. According to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC, 2019), lyric analysis is another strategy which can be used to equip individuals with coping skills. Using this strategy, individuals will analyze the lyrics of a song(s) of choice to understand how triggers leading to anxieties and life situations are related to the artist's song(s). These individuals will then rewrite the chorus of the song(s) with positive words, noting the positive coping skills they can use to manage their triggers and anxieties (CHOC, 2019).

Furthermore, individuals may also take part in group sessions where they work and play music together in a non-judgemental environment (CHOC, 2019). During group sessions, individuals may work on challenging tasks with others, allowing them to practice problem-solving and interpersonal skills. This, in turn, enhances their self-esteem. (CHOC, 2019). Music therapy also enables individuals to practice self-compassion, empathy, and identify their positive traits. Music therapy can also be used to support emotional regulation (Moore, 2013) by equipping individuals with techniques to stay calm in moments of frustration or panic. 

Conclusion

This article has highlighted how music therapy, as a type of psychotherapy, can be used to help individuals enhance their biopsychosocial functioning. While music therapy can significantly improve the biopsychosocial functioning of individuals with various psychological and biological issues, it is also beneficial to healthy individuals. Music therapy can be used to help healthy individuals gain insight into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Additionally, music therapy can also be used to teach individuals to embrace the unknown, build their resiliency and improve their social skills (CHOC, 2019).

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