The Use of Music Therapy on an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit
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UnitAbstract
This article considers the therapeutic value of a music therapy group with adolescents at an in-patient psychiatric facility. Emphasis is placed upon individual success for a given group task as patients are encouraged to participate at their own level of comfort. It is the responsibility of the music therapist to ensure that the participants are comfortable and do not feel threatened by high expectations
or measures of evaluation. The process helps enhance group skills as a result of increased trust among peers and the adolescents' improved self-esteem. Expressing one's feelings gradually becomes less threatening and tends to get generalized into other group therapies.
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