Benefits of Music Therapy With Adolescents With Psychiatric Conditions
Psychosocial conditions in adolescents can present unique difficulties, and music therapy is often an effective solution to help those affected by mental health conditions. Whether your teen is dealing with depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorder or other serious psychological disorders, music’s impact on their brain has the potential to make a major difference in treatment outcomes.
Music therapy has been proven to have a beneficial effect on adolescents suffering from mental health issues, helping them release negative emotions and create positive ones. Furthermore, sound therapy has been known to alter brain activity and cortisol levels in depressed teens.
Adolescents are in an important developmental stage where many of their childhood experiences are being processed and they face new challenges. Therefore, it’s essential for them to have a secure environment in which to explore feelings, thoughts, and emotions without feeling judged or threatened.
As teens become more relaxed in the therapist’s presence, they may take more control of their sessions. This could include activities like song writing, lyric discussion, and performing for others.
Increased self-awareness, emotional expression, autonomy and self-esteem
For teens who struggle to express their emotions verbally, lyrics can be an effective tool to connect them to their feelings – particularly for those suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. This is especially true for those dealing with depression or anxiety issues.
Music therapy has the added advantage of improving concentration and attention span, which can be especially beneficial for teens with mental health conditions who struggle to focus on projects. Music therapy helps alleviate this challenge by encouraging them to complete tasks more successfully and efficiently.
Communication between teens and their therapist during music therapy can be a challenging obstacle for those suffering from anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. But this communication is essential for successful therapy outcomes.
Arts can be an excellent way to build rapport and make therapy sessions more enjoyable and entertaining for teens, helping reduce stress. In many cases, these activities even lead to deeper connections with therapists.
Rock music has long been a source of fascination for many adolescents (Tervo 1985, 1991, 2001). It provides an outlet for intense communication that cannot be expressed verbally, enabling youth to channel their fantasies into musical compositions.
As adolescents become more familiar with instruments and music, they are able to express their own creative fantasies through song. Many times these fantasies involve omnipotence or closeness in some way.
Teens’ fantasies can be an effective tool in therapy. Utilizing them helps them build up confidence in themselves and allows them to express their emotions more openly with others.
Music can be an empowering and effective means of communication for teens struggling with mental health issues. It helps them release their feelings, creating positive ones which in turn has the potential to have a significant effect on their treatment outcomes.