Exploration of the Implementation of Music Therapy Into the Health Services: Lituanian Experience - Exploration of the Implementation of Music Therapy Into the Health Services: Lituanian Experience - Open Access Pub

Integration of music therapy into medical treatment facilities is very uneven in different countries. Scientific evidence of successful examples and sharing of good practices between countries is essential for the further development of music therapy and the improvement of the quality of complex medical services. The goal of this study was to analyse the situation of music therapy implementation into the health services in Lithuania. Analysis of historical background, legislation and overview on music therapy training has been made. Music therapy in Lithuania has gone through more than thirty years of development. Acqaintance and acceptance of music therapy as a relevant and fruitful component to the complexity of the existing medical services was long but successful process. Overview of current initiatives and achievements of the implementation of music therapy into clinical practice and research has shown promissing positive results in developmental pediatrics, psychiatry, special education, neurology, neonatology, oncology, somatic and preventive medicine, rehabilitation. The Music Therapy Master program in Lithuania is being implemented. Possibilities to use music therapy as an inovative service and resourse in various medical settings are in the process of the rapid growth. Collaboration involving music therapists in interdisciplinary teams would help to achieve a comprehensive, versatile patient-centered and health-centered complex service. DOI10.14302/issn.2576-9383.jhhr-17-1788 It is customary to talk about music therapy as a new profession. This is not entirely true, since music therapy has a long and rich history. Music has been used for centuries to lift the mood, calm soothe the body or spiritual pain, foster cognitive and motor development 1, 2. According to contemporary music therapy definitions used by the World Federation of Music Therapy and by professional organizations across the world, music therapy is described as an established allied health care profession that entailes a therapeutic relationship between a patient and certified music therapist. Nowadays, treatment techniques are designed to achieve functional changes in mood, brain and behavior. This is usually a pleasant therapeutic intervention for patients of all ages and with various health problems. Music therapy in medical literature is widely reported as an effective complementary service in the following areas: adult psychiatry, especially in the treatment of depression, eating disorders, personality disorders; children and adolescent psychiatry in reducing emotional and