Substance Abuse

Problem Areas for Clients

Isolation
Withdrawal
Passivity
Inability to express emotions
Denial
Self-destructiveness
Low Confidence
Low self-esteem
Depression
Fear of failure
Frustration avoidance
Inability to break the cycle
Leading a normal life
Relapse
Free time not structured

Music therapy goals for targeting these problem areas

Learn to socialize without alcohol
Learn to feel accepted
Develop awareness of emotions
Develop healthy outlet for emotional expression
Develop coping procedures for dealing with emotions
Learn to confront emotions
Increase self-esteem
Increase self-confidence
Develop sense of accomplishment
Develop relaxation to reduce stress and relieve tension
Learn to talk about addiction
Overcome frustration
Develop use of music as a substitute high
Develop use of music for spiritual support
Develop use of music for exercise
Move away from the abuse
Learn to use music to redirect away from vicious cycle behaviors
Develop impulse control
Discover hope for the future
Get away from negative thinking
Function independently
Establish constructive use of leisure time

Music Therapy methods used for treatment

Music listening
Lyric analysis
Learn to play instrument
Choose songs to reflect mood/theme/person
Sing-along
Relapse prevention tape
Pairing humor with music
Song-writing
Dance and movement to music
Signing to music
Trust walk
Improvisation
Music and relaxation