Music Therapy for Grieving Youth: Trauma, Bereavement, and Healing

Article Overview

This article explores how trauma and grief can overlap in the lives of children and adolescents after the death of a loved one, and how music therapy can support young people through bereavement in thoughtful, culturally responsive ways. Rather than treating grief and trauma as separate experiences, the paper shows how they often intersect and shape emotional expression, coping, identity, relationships, and healing.

The author presents theoretical models and clinical reflections that encourage music therapists to use culturally grounded, resource-oriented, and multisystemic approaches when supporting bereaved youth. The article also highlights the importance of considering interpersonal trauma, systemic oppression, collective trauma, and intergenerational trauma when designing meaningful music therapy support.

Why This Matters

Young people experiencing loss may also be carrying trauma histories, family stress, social inequities, or disrupted support systems. This article matters because it moves beyond a one-size-fits-all understanding of grief and encourages more inclusive, trauma-informed, and socially aware music therapy practice.

For readers, clinicians, and families, the article offers a deeper understanding of why bereavement support should be sensitive to culture, context, and lived experience. It also reinforces that music therapists across settings should be prepared to support youth navigating trauma and loss, and that this knowledge should be part of professional training.

Myers-Coffman, K. (2024). Intersections of trauma and grief: Navigating multilayered terrain in music therapy to support youth through bereavement. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 89, 102166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2024.102166

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Landscape with rising sun, December 1, 1828, 8:30 a.m., Joseph Michael Gandy, 1828

Clinicians’ Views of Music Therapy: Emotional Support, Communication, and Quality of Life

Article Overview

This 2024 qualitative study explores clinicians’ views of music therapy for hospitalized children and adolescents. Published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, the study used two focus groups with 18 healthcare professionals after an interactive music therapy session to examine how clinicians perceived the role of music therapy in pediatric hospital care.

Clinicians described music therapy as supportive of emotional support, communication, coping, and quality of life for children and adolescents in the hospital. They also identified benefits related to emotional expression, family support, and the overall care experience, suggesting that music therapy may contribute to more relational and holistic pediatric care.

Why This Matters

This article matters because it shows how clinicians in pediatric hospital settings view music therapy as part of patient care. While the study does not measure clinical outcomes directly, it offers valuable insight into how music therapy is recognized by professionals working with hospitalized children and adolescents every day.

For a public-facing music therapy library, this article helps explain that music therapy in hospitals is not simply entertainment. According to clinicians in the study, music therapy may support emotional support, communication, coping, and quality of life in pediatric care. That makes it a strong supporting article for families, hospitals, and referral sources interested in child and adolescent music therapy.

Barrio, M., Moreno-Mulet, C., Romero-García, M., & Ríos-Risquez, M. I. (2024). Healthcare professionals’ perceptions towards music therapy for hospitalized children and adolescents: A qualitative study. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 79, e191–e198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2024.07.022

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Woman and Child, Kate Greenaway, 1883