1. Definition >table of contents
In the Netherlands, Music Therapy is commonly regarded as a creative therapy, based on the same principles as Drama Therapy, Fine Arts Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy and Horticulture Therapy.
The training programs for creative therapy in Amersfoort, Nijmegen and Sittard and institutes where music therapists work that have been trained as creative therapists, usually depart from the following definition borrowed from the Dutch Association for Creative Therapy:
"Creative therapy is a specific treatment, aimed at bringing about processes of change and/or acceptance by means of methodically applied creative activities. The transfer of that which has been learned to the personal situation is highly important here, so that the client learns to be free to take decisions and personally direct his life as much as possible. Quite often, the personal situation also provides material for therapy.
The creative therapy has various media. The best known are: Fine Arts, Drama and Music. Horticulture and Dance are developing. Although the principle for creative therapy is the same, different methods can be applied within each medium" (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kreatieve Therapie, 1989).
At the heart of this definition is the concept of creativity and the assumption that every human being is creative in essence and can develop this ability, in order to reach personal expression and growth. It is said that by means of creative therapy, clients develop and/or reactivate their blocked creativity and thus change and grow.
Indications and objectives for creative therapy also depend on the client group one works with and the patterns of the medium itself, c.q. the specific characteristics of music (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kreatieve Therapie, 1992).
A definition from music therapy, in which the concept of music therapy is exclusively restricted to psychotherapeutic assistance, was introduced by Schalkwijk (1988):
"The starting-point, at any rate, is that music therapy can be regarded as a form of psychotherapy ...The psychotherapeutic treatment is offered to clients that need help with their psychological problems, conflicts or disturbances. The therapist tries to establish, structure and apply a relationship in a methodic way, aimed at removing or reducing those psychological problems, conflicts or disturbances...In general, one can say that the more process-oriented the therapist works, the less im-portant fixed play forms become, whereas, on the other hand, the musical improvisation gradually occupies a more important place".
Schalkwijk distinguishes music therapy from orthoagogic music making - with objectives, such as cognitive, social and motoric development and individual growth - and musical activities: non-achievement-oriented music making.
Smeijsters and Fockema Andreae (Smeijsters, 1991b) apply the concept of music therapy in a broader sense and differentiate between recreative-supportive music therapy, psychotherapeutic music therapy, ortho(ped)agogic music therapy, actualizing music therapy and palliative music therapy.
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