Group Singing and Songwriting for Emotion Regulation: Development of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Informed Music Therapy Method for Adults in Crisis Residential Treatment

Author

Angelica Rodriguez, Lesley UniversityFollow

Date of Award

5-5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Rebecca Zarate

Abstract

Emotion regulation, the ability to acknowledge, name, and shift emotions, is an important skill in effectively interacting with the world. However, many people with mental health diagnoses struggle with emotion dysregulation. Music therapy has been explored in combination with Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills training to support clients in building emotion regulation skills. The current study explored how music therapy can positively add to DBT skills training, specifically emotion regulation, for adult clients with mental health diagnoses in short-term residential treatment. Four DBT-informed music therapy groups were conducted, and the researcher’s experiences and reflections were analyzed to produce five main themes: facilitation, resource, positive emotional experience, engagement, and social connection. These findings support earlier research showing the effectiveness of music therapy interventions in supporting DBT skills acquisition and suggest the need for further research examining the specific benefits music therapy interventions can provide.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Rodriguez, Angelica, "Group Singing and Songwriting for Emotion Regulation: Development of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Informed Music Therapy Method for Adults in Crisis Residential Treatment" (2023). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 673.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/673