The Polyfon lived experience panel

The Polyfon lived experience panel is an advisory body that builds on, develops and shares the expertise of people with:

• personal experience with music therapy or other health and care services
• experience as a family member of someone who has received music therapy or other health and care services
• experience from user and carer organizations
   

The following user and carer organizations are represented: Mental Helse (external link) (an organization for mental health), Løvemammaene (external link) (an organization that works for children and young people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and their families), Eldrerådet (external link) (the Council for Older People in Bergen municipality) and RIO (external link) (an organization in the field of substance use). 

• Raise issues and highlight experiences from a user and carer perspective.
• Support good use of lived experience expertise in all parts of Polyfon's work.
• Raise awareness of user and carer involvement in Norwegian music therapy and other health-related music practices.
• Show the need for and relevance of music as a health resource in services and society.

The lived experience panel has 10 representatives and four deputy representatives. All have personal experience, experience as a carer and/or a connection to a user and carer organization. The panel covers three of Polyfon's focus areas: children and young people, mental health and substance use, and older people's health. It also has flexible seats that can go to other focus areas.

All representatives are currently from Eastern or Western Norway. Polyfon is building hubs in the south, east and west. In 2026, the panel will therefore also gain representatives from Southern Norway.

The lived experience panel works to:

• raise the profile of music therapy, including through the panel's opinion piece Vi vil ha musikkterapi ("We want music therapy")
• send proposals and input to the Polyfon secretariat and steering group
• advise on good user and carer involvement in services, research and education at cluster partners
• put user and carer involvement on the agenda at meetings, seminars and conferences
• take part in the cluster's bodies, including the steering group, working groups, the Polyfon conference programme committee and various collaboration meetings
• submit responses to relevant public consultations and take an active part in communicating with the public, politicians and authorities