Therapeutic Songwriting in Adelaide

Adelaide music therapists employ therapeutic song writing across various contexts to address non-musical goals. In therapeutic songwriting, the therapist intentionally supports the music therapy participant to construct a song that holds personal significance to them. The resulting songs provide a tangible reflection of their experiences or a portrayal of their evolved state.

Before we go any further, rest assured, when songwriting in music therapy, you don’t need any musical knowledge or background. Adelaide’s music therapists will guide the process for you. It’s their job to make sure that you can write a song!

Mental Health Support

Music Therapists in Adelaide use song writing to help clients articulate their internal experiences. For those dealing with anxiety, depression or trauma, guided song writing can be used to explore, express, and make sense of life’s experiences. It offers an alternative way to process and externalise thoughts and feelings in a way that is creative and rewarding.

Rehabilitation and Neurologic Music Therapy

Song writing is often used by Adelaide’s music therapists in neurological rehabilitation. Following a brain injury, song writing can be used to help people explore and express their emotional responses and thoughts about their injury, the circumstances surrounding it and the changes they are experiencing in their lives and relationships.  Creating lyrics and melody also stimulates a wide range of cognitive processes. For example, patients with a brain injury who cannot recall previous conversations held in talk-based therapy, can often recall the lyrics and associated feelings of the song they have written in music therapy.

Youth and Developmental Therapy

Learning often happens through song. Many of us absorbed the alphabet through singing our ABC’s to the melody of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. When working with children and adolescents, particularly those with developmental disorders, song writing becomes a tool for learning. Adelaide music therapists may write a song with or for their client, that holds instructions for learning a particular skill. The melody in the music helps encode the information in the brain and this can be particularly useful for learning sequential information. For example, a song may be written with or for you that outline the steps for activities of daily living, such as brushing your teeth, or cooking a meal.

Song Writing and Palliative Care

In the delicate context of palliative care, where patients often grapple with complex emotions and the need to articulate their life experiences, song writing provides a therapeutic outlet. It allows individuals to convey their feelings, hopes and fears in a way that transcends traditional communication. Crafting lyrics and melodies enables patients to reflect on their lives, express gratitude, or communicate messages to loved ones, often bringing a sense of closure and peace. The process of song writing in this setting is not just about creating music; it's a deeply personal journey that helps patients and their families cope with end-of-life experiences. This unique form of therapy allows people to create a legacy, as the songs created become cherished memories for the patients' families, encapsulating the essence of their loved one's thoughts and feelings.

The Role of Music Therapy

Therapeutic song writing is a music therapy technique that offers a range of benefits for people of all ages. Music therapy techniques are backed by research with many studies highlighting the efficacy of music therapy. This ensures that Adelaide music therapists are using practices that are evidence-based and effective .

For more information on how music therapy can benefit you, your child, or your client, get in touch with Adelaide based Registered Music Therapist, Anneliis Way, today. She believes that music makes life better and looks forward to sharing the creative process of therapeutic song writing with you.