Ali Sailer, MT-BC

Looking for session ideas? Check out this list of tried and true music therapy activities for clients in addiction recovery. Some ideas are original. Most are adapted from various sources that eventually wound up inside my music therapy toolbox. Enjoy!

Let It Be by The Beatles

Theme: Acceptance

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Clients identify people, places, things, and beliefs they feel attached to as well as which ones they want to let go of

  4. Clients share answers with the group and discuss their own strategies for finding acceptance

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel

Theme: Stressors

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Clients sketch a “bridge” and “water” and label with stressors and healthy coping strategies

  4. Clients share pictures with the group

Thank You by Dido

Theme: Gratitude

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Clients create “ABCs of gratitude” lists

  4. Clients share lists

Soundtrack To My Life by Kid Cudi

7 Years by Lukas Graham

In My Life by The Beatles

Theme: Life story

  1. Choose two songs

  2. Distribute copy of lyrics and ask clients to underline or highlight significant words as they listen to the songs

  3. Compare and contrast musical narratives

  4. Clients create “soundtracks” identifying songs that represent childhood, parents, love, happiness, sadness, anger, and theme song

  5. Clients share soundtracks and share recorded songs as time allows

  6. Optional: provide art supplies to design album cover

Hero by Mariah Carey

Theme: Strength

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Clients sketch a scenario depicting themselves utilizing personal strengths

  4. Clients share pictures with the group

Drift Away by Dobie Gray

Theme: Coping strategies

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Distribute fill-in-the-blank lyric substitution

  4. Clients work together to replace song lyrics with their own words

  5. Group sings completed song

Times Like These by Foo Fighters

Theme: Living in the present

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Distribute fill-in-the-blank lyric substitution

  4. Each client individually replaces song lyrics with his/her own words

  5. Read or sing completed songs

Behind Blue Eyes by The Who

Theme: Authenticity

  1. Distribute copy of lyrics

  2. Sing/play song and facilitate discussion

  3. Distribute “mask” outlines and clients write/draw their exterior/interior personas

  4. Clients share masks with the group

Mandalas

Theme: Addiction & recovery

  1. Clients create two playlists. First playlist contains songs that remind them of active addiction and second playlist contains songs that remind them of recovery.

  2. Clients listen to first playlist while writing/drawing “active addiction” inside a mandala

  3. Clients listen to second playlist while writing/drawing “recovery” inside a mandala

  4. Clients share about their mandalas

  5. Optional for individual or group collaboration

Drumming

Theme: Interpersonal coping strategies

  1. Clients brainstorm a list of ten positive and ten negative interpersonal coping strategies

  2. Clients select percussive instruments

  3. MT facilitates a series of group drumming experiences progressing in difficulty. Each “level” is passed by meeting goals tailored to the group’s needs (listening, patience, awareness, communication)

  4. The group processes which coping strategies they utilized in order to “pass” the level