Establishing and developing practice

Music therapy practice may be informed by international research, national policies and guidelines, local needs and initiatives, or most often a combination of these.

• International research and national policies and guidelines
  Research and national guidelines help promote the systematic implementation of music therapy. See Polyfon's knowledge descriptions for an overview.
• Local needs and initiatives
  Local assessments of how music therapy can help address challenges in services often play an important role. One example is the City of Bergen's report on implementing music therapy in Child and Family Services.

You may need more information about music therapy practice before deciding to establish a service. The national treatment description for music therapy provides a simple introduction to music therapy practice. Another useful resource is a collection of six short films produced by the National Network for Music Therapy in Mental Health and Substance Use Services.

The evidence base, national policies and guidelines, and the engagement of service users and user organisations all suggest that music therapy services will become more common in municipalities and health trusts.

There are several ways to establish music therapist positions:

• Within existing budgets: Based on the available evidence and national recommendations, many municipalities and health trusts have prioritised music therapist positions as an integrated part of their services. For example, Haukeland University Hospital has established a substantial number of music therapist positions.
• Through strategic planning: Municipalities and health trusts can also embed music therapy services in relevant plans and strategies. This may take longer than simply launching a service, but it can help ensure that services are sustainable and well integrated into existing structures. Bergen Municipality's development of music therapist positions within Child and Family Services is one example.
• Through project development: Despite strong evidence, national recommendations, and local needs, music therapy may still be perceived as a new or innovative approach. In such cases, project funding can provide an important starting point and lay the groundwork for future prioritisation and integration into regular services. Relevant funding sources may include the Norwegian Directorate of Health, KS, the County Governor, the Dam Foundation, and other public and private funding bodies. Many municipalities and health trusts have staff or departments dedicated to project development. Participants in the Polyfon collaboration can contact Polyfon for advice, support and possible involvement in these processes.

Polyfon's advice on establishing music therapy practice

All participants in the Polyfon knowledge cluster can receive advice and support from the cluster secretariat when establishing music therapy practice. Organisations interested in joining the cluster are also welcome to get in touch. Please contact polyfon@uib.no.

In collaboration with Creo, CREMAH and GAMUT, Polyfon has also developed a set of practical recommendations for recruiting a music therapist.

Read the recommendations for recruiting a music therapist (PDF).

Polyfon information sheet for health trusts

This information sheet presents experiences from two health trusts, one large and one small, that participate in the Polyfon knowledge cluster. It also includes examples of service user experiences.

Read Polyfon's information sheet for health trusts (PDF).

Handbook for establishing music therapy services in substance use and mental health services

This handbook provides practical guidance on planning, embedding and implementing music therapy services:

Kielland, T., Solli, H. P. & Trondalen, G. (2020). Handbook for establishing music therapy services in substance use and mental health services. Centre for Research in Music and Health (CREMAH), Norwegian Academy of Music.

Music therapy students at the Norwegian Academy of Music and/or the Grieg Academy (UiB) can contribute to the development of practice, provided that appropriate arrangements are in place and students are given the space they need for their learning process (see Polyfon's link collection for contact information).

Examples of how students can be involved include:

• Students can apply for a Polyfon summer scholarship in collaboration with services and either CREMAH or GAMUT. The scholarship may support a service user survey or another study that can help lay the groundwork for practice development. Read more about summer scholarships.
• Students can undertake their master's thesis in collaboration with services and, in most cases, CREMAH or GAMUT.
• Parts of a music therapy student's clinical placement may also be linked to service development within a municipality or a health trust.

Polyfon strongly encourages the use of lived experience expertise in the design, delivery and evaluation of music therapy and music and health practices. Involvement is a legal right and helps ensure that services are both high-quality and relevant.

Polyfon's coordinator for involvement, in consultation with the cluster's lived experience panel, has developed a guide to service user and family involvement in practice development. The guide includes:

• Practical advice from Polyfon's lived experience panel
• Information about service user and family involvement as a legal right
• Relevant courses and educational opportunities
• Further reading
• Links to useful websites and resources
• Guidance on compensation rates for service user and family involvement

Quality assurance involves evaluating music therapy services to ensure that they achieve their intended outcomes. Service user surveys are an important part of this work.

The Norwegian Federation of Organisations Working with Substance Use Issues has compiled links to several service user surveys in the fields of substance use and mental health.

Below are examples of qualitative studies on implementation and practice development. These studies include different forms of co-production, bringing together lived experience expertise and professional expertise. In the future, this type of research could be further developed and complemented by quantitative implementation research.

Kristiansen, F. A., Stige, B. & Helle-Valle, A. (2023). Characteristics of music therapy with beneficial impacts on agitation in dementia. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 23(2). 

Rolvsjord, R. (2018). Music therapy in a recovery-oriented unit: a qualitative study of users’ and staff’s experiences with music therapy in mental health care. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 21(1-2). 

Tuastad, L., Johansen, B., Østerholt, A.L., Nielsen, I. & Hansen McIvor, D.S. (2023). Being a person who plays in a band rather than being a person with a mental illness playing in a band: A qualitative study of stigma in the context of music therapy in mental health aftercare, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 32(2), 121-139. 

Ødegaard, C., Engebretsen, I., Veseth, M., Blindheim, A. & Stige, B. (2022). Health care workers’ perspectives on the challenges and possibilities of music therapy within medication-free treatment services. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 32(3), 241-259. 

Polyfon supports studies of implementation, including projects that grow out of quality assurance activities and service user surveys.

The two most relevant funding schemes are summer scholarships and research funding:

• Polyfon offers summer scholarships for music therapy students within the knowledge cluster each year. The application deadline is 1 February.
  Read more about summer scholarships.
• Staff affiliated with Polyfon's participating organisations may apply for research funding. Applications are accepted twice a year, with deadlines on 1 February and 1 October.
  Read more about research funding.