Music Therapy, Spiritual Health Needs, and Substance Use Disorders

Individuals with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) require multiple levels of care and support for recovery. Moreover, people with SUDs must adopt a new way of living which fosters meaning, personal growth, and connection with others to sustain ongoing sobriety. Research suggests that spirituality can often play an integral role for persons in recovery. There is a paucity of research which examines music therapy’s efficacy for addressing the spiritual health needs of individuals with SUDs. A survey was conductedto learn more about how, and if music therapists in the United States are treating the spiritual health needs of people with SUDs. Music therapists reported that “connection with others” and “exploring relationship with self” were the most common spiritual health goals addressed in music therapy. Song discussion and lyric analysis were the most used methods to address spiritual goals. The United States’ imperative for the “Gold Standard” of evidence-based practice and its potential influence on music therapy treatment are considered and explored in the context of spiritual health needs. The present study can help to broaden the knowledge base of current trends in music therapy practice in meeting the spiritual health needs for persons with SUDs, as well as provide recommendations for future research, and music therapy educators in the United States. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Jingwen Zhang for her support and invaluable feedback. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Annie Heiderscheit and Jim Borling, for their input which was used to help construct aspects of this study’s survey questionnaire, as well as their encouragement and support. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Kathleen Murphy, whose endless support and inspiration helped me to fulfill this project.