ORIGINALBEITRÄGE. REFLE a CT: Gesellschaftliche Dimensionen und ihre Relevanz für die Musiktherapie

Social dimensions such as hierarchies and power relations within a society have an impact on individuals’ mental health - for people who experience disadvantages due to social conditions, this impact can be negative. As part of the research project REFLEaCT, music therapists from German-speaking countries were invited to take part in a survey and a subsequent focus group, where they were asked to respond to and discuss questions about their attitudes toward factors influencing mental health in general, and social factors in particular. The participants reflected on considering and addressing these factors in music therapy practice, dealing with experiences of discrimination, as well as perspectives on music in the context of marginalization. The findings of this study highlight the wide range of approaches for dealing with social circumstances in music therapy practice - from strategies that actively integrate them into the work with clients to perspectives allowing no place for them in music therapy. This points to the need for practitioners to reflect on their own stance to acquire a more conscious approach to social factors, in order to create a discrimination- sensitive music therapy practice for clients.