‘Mummy Can Play Too…’ Short-Term Music Therapy with Mothers and Young Children

Abstract

This article describes two short-term music therapy groups with mothers¹ and young children at the Croft Unit for Child and Family Psychiatry. As there is very little documented music therapy work with this client group, the authors examine literature that describes other therapeutic interventions and that looks at the links between mothers and young children's behaviour. This literature review suggests that early intervention with parents who are experiencing difficulties with their children is both important and useful. The article goes on to hypothesise why music therapy is a particularly effective way of working with mothers and young children and to examine the small amount of other documented work by music therapists with this client group. The two treatment groups with parents and young children at the Croft are then described and analysed in some detail. The authors reflect on the particular role music therapy plays in the treatment packages offered at the Croft.