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Women’S Perceptions Of The Usefulness Of Group Music Therapy In Addictions Recovery, Susan Gardstrom, Abigail Klemm, Kathleen M. Murphy

Music Faculty Publications

This study represents our attempt to uncover aspects of group music therapy that women with addictions perceive as useful toward recovery – factors that have yet to be clearly identified in existing literature. Women in residential treatment for addictions to heroin and other substances were surveyed following group music therapy sessions involving vocal and instrumental re-creation, listening, and improvisation. Qualitative content analysis of data revealed four major findings. We learned that treatment is, in fact, seen as useful by these particular women and that Yalom’s theory provides a meaningful framework for identifying, understanding, and fostering mechanisms within the group music …