![A sheltered corner of a walled garden with chime bars, a hand drum and an upright piano](https://viacara.com/img/content/approaches-music-therapy-feature-light.webp) # Music Therapy Learn how music therapy uses sound and instruments, what happens in a session, who it might suit and what the research shows. ## What is music therapy? Music therapy is a psychological intervention delivered by registered music therapists. The British Association for Music Therapy says you need not be musical to take part. Many people first touch an instrument at their first session. It is not a music lesson. Sound reaches some people when words cannot. The music is the conversation here, not a warm-up for one. Sources: [BAMT: music therapy overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-1), [BAMT: music therapist](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-2), [BAMT: myths debunked](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-3) ## How it *works* The work is built on live musical interaction between you and your therapist. A wide range of styles and instruments can be used, including the voice. The music is often improvised. Your therapist is not performing for you. Nor are you performing for them. You might play, or listen, or sit in the quiet between. Nothing is rehearsed. Your therapist follows what you do rather than leading you through a piece. A conversation through *music* - **Sound** You may use instruments or your voice. - **Musical exchange** Your therapist responds through music. - **Listening** Listening also forms part of the exchange. The relationship includes live musical interaction. This differs from a music lesson or listening to a playlist alone. Sources: [BAMT: music therapy overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-1), [BAMT: myths debunked](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-3) ## What *sessions* look like Music therapy runs one to one or in a group. Like most therapy, a session usually lasts about fifty minutes. An NHS trust running arts therapies says you need not be good at music. It adds that you need no previous experience of it. Nobody is listening for mistakes. Some sessions are loud. Others are almost silent, and that counts too. Sources: [BAMT: music therapy overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-1), [BACP: counselling](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-16), [SABP: arts therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-15) ![The chime bars and drum seen from the armchair, a stool drawn up on the far side of the frame](https://viacara.com/img/content/approaches-music-therapy-mid-light.webp) Music therapy makes a conversation out of sound, with room for silence in it ## Who it might *suit* It can be a good fit if you: - Find speech hard, or have lost it - Already turn to music when things get heavy - Have sat through talking therapy and got nowhere - Would rather not be asked to explain yourself - Are looking for help for someone who cannot easily use words The British Association for Music Therapy names people who find verbal communication difficult. It says the therapy benefits people across the whole of life. Sources: [BAMT: music therapist](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-2), [BAMT: music therapy overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-1) ## Who *provides* it Music therapist is a title protected in law. The Health and Care Professions Council keeps the register. Using a protected title with intent to deceive is a criminal offence. BAMT says UK practice requires a master's course it validates. Nine training courses run across the UK. In September 2026 the register held about 6,200 arts therapists. That count covers music, art and drama together, because the regulator does not split it. Sources: [HCPC: protected titles](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-5), [HCPC: misuse of title](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-6), [BAMT: training](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-4), [HCPC: register summary](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-7) ## The *evidence* Of the three creative therapies on this site, music therapy has the most research behind it. Cochrane reviewed music therapy for depression in 2017. Its authors found that music therapy added to usual treatment seems to improve depressive symptoms. The same review says small study numbers make that hard to be sure of. A separate Cochrane review looked at schizophrenia and pooled eighteen trials. Its authors wrote that music therapy seems to help, and that more research is needed to confirm it. They rated the evidence low to moderate quality. That review also reported that at least twenty sessions may be needed for a clear effect. A short course may not be a fair test. A 2022 Cochrane review of autistic people found music therapy probably improves things overall. The same review found it probably does not increase adverse events. NICE says to consider offering arts therapies to people with psychosis. It gives the same advice for children and young people. Consider is a weaker word than offer, which NICE uses elsewhere in the same guideline. NICE does not name music therapy in its guidance on depression. NHS Talking Therapies does not list it either, so the NHS route runs through community mental health services. An NHS trust running arts therapies says there has been little research to show conclusively that they help. If you are weighing up a few options, our [guide to the different approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) sets them side by side. Sources: [Aalbers et al. 2017](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-8), [Geretsegger et al. 2017](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-9), [Geretsegger et al. 2022](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-10), [NICE CG178](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-11), [NICE CG155](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-12), [NICE NG222](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-13), [NHS England: talking therapies manual](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-14), [ELFT: ERA trial](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#ref-17) On this page [What is music therapy?](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#what-is-music-therapy) [How it works](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#how-it-works) [What sessions look like](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#what-sessions-look-like) [Who it might suit](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#who-it-might-suit) [Who provides it](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#who-provides-it) [The evidence](https://viacara.com/approaches/music-therapy/#the-evidence) Related [Art Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/art-therapy/) [Dramatherapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/dramatherapy/) [Humanistic Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/humanistic/) [Understanding Different Approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Looking for a music therapist? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy/) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms/) ## References 1. British Association for Music Therapy (n.d.). *What is music therapy?*. [bamt.org](https://www.bamt.org/music-therapy/what-is-music-therapy) 2. British Association for Music Therapy (n.d.). *What is a music therapist?*. [bamt.org](https://www.bamt.org/music-therapy/what-is-a-music-therapist) 3. British Association for Music Therapy (2025). *Hitting the wrong note: debunking myths about music therapy*. [bamt.org](https://www.bamt.org/DB/blog/hitting-the-wrong-note-debunking-myths-about-music-therapy) 4. British Association for Music Therapy (n.d.). *Training*. [bamt.org](https://www.bamt.org/training) 5. Health and Care Professions Council (n.d.). *Professions and protected titles*. [hcpc-uk.org](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-regulate/the-professions/) 6. Health and Care Professions Council (n.d.). *Misuse of title*. [hcpc-uk.org](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/concerns/what-we-investigate/misuse-of-title/) 7. Health and Care Professions Council (2026). *Register summary, valid as of 1 September 2026*. [hcpc-uk.org](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/data/the-register/register-summary/) 8. Aalbers, S. et al. (2017). *Music therapy for depression*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub3](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub3) 9. Geretsegger, M. et al. (2017). *Music therapy for people with schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like disorders*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004025.pub4](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004025.pub4) 10. Geretsegger, M. et al. (2022). *Music therapy for autistic people*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub4](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub4) 11. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2026). *Psychosis and schizophrenia in adults: prevention and management (CG178)*. [nice.org.uk](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg178/chapter/Recommendations) 12. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2016). *Psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people: recognition and management (CG155)*. [nice.org.uk](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg155/chapter/Recommendations) 13. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2022). *Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)*. [nice.org.uk](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222) 14. NHS England (2024). *NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression manual, version 7.1*. [england.nhs.uk (PDF)](https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/nhs-talking-therapies-manual-v7.1-updated.pdf) 15. Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (n.d.). *Arts therapy*. [sabp.nhs.uk](https://www.sabp.nhs.uk/our-services/mental-health/arts-therapy) 16. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (n.d.). *What is counselling?*. [bacp.co.uk](https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/what-is-counselling/) 17. East London NHS Foundation Trust (n.d.). *About the ERA trial*. [elft.nhs.uk](https://www.elft.nhs.uk/era/about-era) ## Related ### [Art Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/art-therapy/) Learn how art therapy uses image making alongside talking, what a session is like, who it might suit and what the research shows. ### [Dramatherapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/dramatherapy/) Learn how dramatherapy uses role, story and movement, what happens in a session, who it might suit and what the research shows. ### [Humanistic Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/humanistic/) Learn how humanistic therapy sees you as a whole person, what happens in a session, who it tends to suit and what the research covers. ### [Understanding Different Approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) A plain-English guide to the main therapeutic approaches including CBT, person-centred therapy, psychodynamic and integrative methods.