Music Therapy and Mental Health for Adults

Polyfon's knowledge summaries provide an overview of music therapy in different fields of practice. They bring together knowledge from research, user experiences, clinical practice and implementation, and include information on national guidelines and ongoing research. Relevant resources and links are also provided.

Music Provides Strength

“It is the music that gives me the courage to try more and more things, and the strength to cope better in other areas of life as well.” (Seberg & Taihaugen, 2020)

This quote comes from a report on service users’ experiences of music therapy at Innlandet Hospital. Music therapy is typically practised within a recovery-oriented framework, supporting people in their own recovery processes. Through a collaborative, relationship-based and strengths-focused approach, music therapy can help people build resources, confidence and opportunities for greater participation in community life.

Get an overview of music therapy and mental health for adults

Music therapists are professionally qualified practitioners with a Master’s degree in music therapy. They work in a wide range of settings, including hospital departments, community mental health centres, outreach teams, municipal services, and non-profit and cultural organisations.

National guidelines

Guidelines 

Music therapy is recommended or referenced in several national guidelines and policy documents relating to mental health and substance use treatment in Norway.

1. National Guideline for the Assessment, Treatment and Follow-up of People with Psychotic Disorders (2013)

  • Music therapy received the highest level of recommendation, based on the strongest available evidence.
  • The guideline states that music therapy promotes recovery and should be introduced as early as possible to help reduce negative symptoms.
  • Music therapy is considered relevant in both specialist health services and community-based services.

The guideline was withdrawn in January 2025 for reasons unrelated to music therapy. A revised chapter on treatment methods was circulated for consultation later that year, and the recommendation for music therapy remains largely unchanged.

2. National Guideline for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Substance Use Disorders and Addiction

  • Services are encouraged to offer music therapy to patients and service users who want it.
  • The guideline highlights music therapy's potential to support communication, self-expression, motivation, personal growth and recovery.

3. National Guideline for Detoxification from Substances and Addictive Medications (2016)

  • Music therapy is described as a supportive intervention during detoxification.
  • The guideline refers to recommendations from the national psychosis and substance use guidelines, as well as research conducted in detoxification settings.

Guidance Documents and Service Models

1. National Guide for Adult Mental Health and Substance Use Services (2025)

Music therapy is described as a relevant intervention across all levels of care, from low-threshold community services to specialised treatment for severe and long-term mental health and substance use conditions. The guide highlights music therapy's potential to promote coping, meaning, identity, belonging and recovery.

2. FACT Model Description (2023)

The FACT model emphasises the contribution of music therapy to recovery-oriented and strengths-based practice.

Other Policy Developments

  • Music therapists are among the professions recommended for ACT, FACT and FACT Youth teams.
  • Music therapy is an important component of medication-free treatment pathways for psychosis.
  • Norway's national shared decision-making tool for psychosis includes music therapy as one of the main treatment options.
  • The Norwegian Clinical Procedure Coding System includes dedicated procedure codes for both individual and group music therapy in specialist health services.
  • A national treatment description for music therapy in mental health and substance use services has been established within specialist care.

Effects of music therapy

Summary

Research shows that music therapy can be effective for a range of mental health conditions. The strongest evidence is found in relation to psychosis and depression, while studies also indicate promising results for anxiety disorders, stress-related conditions, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, trauma-related conditions and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

Importantly, many of the benefits of music therapy appear to extend across diagnostic categories. This is particularly relevant for difficulties such as reduced emotional engagement, social withdrawal, low motivation and reduced quality of life. Music therapy offers alternative ways of expressing thoughts and feelings and can support emotional regulation, social interaction, motivation and participation in everyday life.

When provided alongside standard treatment, music therapy has been shown to (Gold, Solli, Krüger & Lie, 2009; Geretsegger et al., 2017):

Music Therapy Can Reduce
  • depressive symptoms
  • anxiety
  • negative symptoms, such as emotional withdrawal, social isolation and lack of motivation
Music Therapy Can Improve
  • overall clinical health
  • overall mental health and well-being
  • social functioning
  • quality of life

Studies suggest that the effects of music therapy are related to the amount of therapy provided, with 20 sessions or more typically required to achieve moderate effects (Gold, Solli, Krüger & Lie, 2009).

A review published by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that music therapy and other arts therapies have considerable potential for preventing illness, promoting health and supporting the treatment of mental health conditions.

Cochrane Reviews

Cochrane Reviews provide systematic summaries of the available evidence on healthcare interventions. Two Cochrane Reviews have been published on music therapy and mental health:

Music Therapy for Psychotic Disorders and Schizophrenia
  • Geretsegger, M., Mössler, K. A., Bieleninik, Ł., Chen, X. J., Heldal, T. O., & Gold, C. (2017). Music therapy for people with schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 5, CD004025.
Music Therapy for Depression
  • Aalbers, S., Fusar-Poli, L., Freeman, R. E., Spreen, M., Ket, J. C. F., Vink, A. C., Maratos, A., Crawford, M., Chen, X., & Gold, C. (2017). Music therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 11, CD004517.
Music Therapy for Substance Use Disorders

A Cochrane Review that may also be relevant to the field of mental health is:

  • Ghetti, C., Chen, X. J., Brenner, A. K., Hakvoort, L. G., Lien, L., Fachner, J., & Gold, C. (2022). Music therapy for people with substance use disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 5, CD012576.

See also: Polyfon's knowledge summary on music therapy in substance use treatment.

Selected Outcome Studies and Systematic Reviews

Psychosis and Severe Mental Illness
Depression
Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Personality Disorders
Eating Disorders
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Mental Health in Correctional Settings

User experiences

In recent years, a growing number of studies and reports have explored service users' experiences of music therapy. Overall, the findings suggest that music therapy is associated with positive experiences and themes commonly linked to recovery. Many people describe music and music therapy as providing a valuable break from symptoms and illness-focused treatment (Solli, Rolvsjord & Borg, 2013).

Service users often associate music therapy with joy, vitality, motivation, hope, identity, empowerment and social belonging, as illustrated by the following quote:

“I often feel like a faulty product. Like there is so much wrong with me, if you know what I mean. But when I'm here, I don't feel that there is so much wrong.” (Solli & Rolvsjord, 2014, our translation)

At the same time, all processes of change can be challenging. For some people, using music as a resource for health, recovery and community participation may also involve risks and difficulties. For example, some service users have reported that performing music in public as part of music therapy can be challenging:

“I think people immediately associate it with stigma once you put the label of mental health on it.” (Tuastad et al., 2018, our translation)

Qualitative Research Studies

  • Ansdell, G., Davidson, J., Magee, W. L., Meehan, J., & Procter, S. (2010). From "This F***ing life" to "that's better" ... in four minutes: an interdisciplinary study of music therapy's "present moments" and their potential for affect modulation. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 19(1), 3–28.
  • McCaffrey, T., & Edwards, J. (2016). “Music Therapy Helped Me Get Back Doing”: Perspectives of Music Therapy Participants in Mental Health Services. Journal of Music Therapy, 53(2), 121-148.
  • Rolvsjord, R. (2013). Music therapy in everyday life: With the organ as the third therapist. In Bonde, L.O., Ruud, E., Skånland, M. & Trondalen G. (red.). Music and Health Narratives. Skriftserie fra Senter for musikk og helse, Norges musikkhøgskole.
  • Rolvsjord, R. What clients do to make music therapy work: A qualitative multiple case study in adult mental health care. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 24(4), 2015.
  • Solli, H.P. & Rolvsjord, R. (2014). “The Opposite of Treatment”: A qualitative study of how patients diagnosed with psychosis experience music therapy. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.
  • Solli, H.P., Rolvsjord, R. & Borg, M. (2013). Toward Understanding Music Therapy as a Recovery-Oriented Practice within Mental Health Care: A Meta-Synthesis of Service Users’ Experiences. Journal of Music Therapy, Winter 50(4), 244-273, 2013.
  • Skånland, M. S. (2023) Music therapy and social recovery in flexible assertive community treatment, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 32:4, 290-306, DOI: 10.1080/08098131.2022.2116593
  • Skånland, M. S., & Trondalen, G. (2023). The therapeutic relationship in music therapy in a Flexible Assertive Community Treatment team: A joint interview study of service users and their Music Therapist. British Journal of Music Therapy, 0(0), 1-12.
  • Stige, B. (2011). The doors and windows of the dressing room: Culture-centered music therapy in a mental health setting. I: Anthony Meadows (red.), Developments in Music Therapy Practice: Case Study Perspectives. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.
  • Trondalen, G. (2016). Expressive and receptive music therapy in eating disorder treatment. I: A. L. Heiderscheit (red.), Creative Arts Therapies and Clients with Eating Disorders (pp. 99-119). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
  • Trzebinski, M. & Tuastad, L. (2022). En mangesidig recoveryprosess: En metasyntese av evalueringsrapporter om musikkterapi i psykisk helse- og rusfeltet. Musikkterapi (1).

Service User Surveys


Several Norwegian user surveys have also been carried out in the field of substance use treatment. See the reports on user experiences and implementation published by the Norwegian Council for Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation (Fagrådet).

 

Practice and implementation

Approaches and Methods

Music therapy can be provided individually, in groups, through outreach work, or in a variety of community settings. Goals and therapeutic approaches are developed collaboratively by the service user or patient and the music therapist. Music therapy can be adapted for people with extensive musical experience as well as for those with little or no previous experience of music-making.

The focus of music therapy is to create a safe environment that supports experiences of achievement, meaning and hope, promotes positive relationships, and uses music as a resource for emotional expression and regulation.

Methods may include:

  • listening to music
  • playing music and/or singing together
  • improvisation
  • songwriting
  • recording
  • performance

These approaches may also be combined with other creative forms of expression.

The role of verbal conversation in music therapy varies according to the needs, preferences and resources of the individual.

Music therapists can also support people in using music as a health resource in everyday life and in participating in local cultural activities, such as choirs, bands, music lessons, music cafés and similar community initiatives.

For further information about music therapy in practice, see the National Treatment Description for Music Therapy in Mental Health and Specialist Substance Use Services.

Implementation in Services

National recommendations for music therapy have highlighted the need for successful implementation in mental health services. Selected publications:

Implementation Handbook

To support the development of music therapy services, the Norwegian Academy of Music, in collaboration with the Norwegian Council for Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation (Fagrådet), has produced an implementation handbook for music therapy in mental health and substance use services:

Polyfon's Resource Page for Service Development

The Polyfon Knowledge Cluster works to increase access to high-quality, research-informed music therapy services across Norway. To support the establishment and further development of services, Polyfon has developed a dedicated resource page:

Research on the Implementation of Music Therapy Services

Relevant links

Videos on music therapy and mental health

Music Therapy Education Programmes in Norway

Additional education opportunities are also available at both bachelor's and doctoral level. See:

National Network

Ongoing Research Projects

Researchers in Norway Working on Music Therapy and Mental Health

The research centres GAMUT (The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre) at the University of Bergen (UiB) and NORCE, together with CREMAH (Centre for Research in Music and Health) at the Norwegian Academy of Music, contribute to international research and knowledge development in the field of music therapy and mental health.

A research environment focusing on music therapy and music and health is also being established in Kristiansand as part of the development of a new regional hub within the Polyfon Knowledge Cluster for Music Therapy, launched in January 2026.

Researchers are welcome to be contacted for presentations, information, or discussions about opportunities for collaboration on research related to music therapy and mental health.

Polyfon Knowledge Cluster for Music Therapy

  • builds collaboration between academia, services and programmes, and service users
  • strengthens collaboration around music as a health resource
  • works to ensure that music therapy is accessible to everyone who needs it

The collaboration is national in scope, and organisations and individuals from across Norway are welcome to participate.

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About this knowledge description

This knowledge summary was written by Hans Petter Paulen Solli (external link), Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) and researcher at CREMAH, and Lars Tuastad, Associate Professor at the University of Bergen (UiB) and researcher at GAMUT.

We would like to thank CREMAH (NMH) and GAMUT (UiB & NORCE) for their valuable contributions to Polyfon's knowledge summaries.

Last updated: 23 January 2026.

Last updated: 07.10.2026