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The creation of a music therapy grief support group for young adults
Thesis   Open access

The creation of a music therapy grief support group for young adults

Regina Allison Brockway
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
Jun 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000014
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Abstract

Grief therapy Young adults Music therapy
This paper details the development and implementation of a music therapy-focused grief support group for young adults at a Hospice Bereavement Department in a major city on the East Coast. There is a gap in research on the use of music therapy with bereaved young adults, and this project aimed to explore the use of this modality to support grieving individuals in this life stage. This project was guided by a community music therapy model and a framework of cultural humility, and the steps to its implementation included an introductory workshop, a community brainstorming meeting, and the creation of ongoing programming. During the time period of this project, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and the program had to be adapted to a virtual format. The group used music therapy interventions to help individuals connect to one another, as well as their creativity, as a means of supporting their grief processes. Both the in-person workshop and the virtual bi-weekly group seemed to provide young adults with connection, support, and creative release in their bereavement, leading to my recommendation of future support groups of this nature being offered in both virtual and in-person formats. Moreover, the music therapy interventions allowed participants to oscillate between the loss and restoration oriented coping styles of the dual process model in a safe and contained way, thereby illuminating that more research is needed on the application of this model in music therapy contexts.

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