Music therapy at the MUHC: When music builds bridges

At the MUHC, music plays a special role, and patients benefit greatly from it. Musicians perform regularly at the Cedars Cancer Centre, and the Montreal Chamber Music Festival honours us with frequent visits. Did you know that the MUHC's music therapy program is one of the largest in Canada? 

A structured and diverse program

Six music therapists work with adult patients at the Allan Memorial Institute, the Montreal General Hospital and Lachine Hospital, and support young patients through music at the Montreal Children's Hospital. 

Among the initiatives available to adults in mental health care are:

• MusiArt, a well-known choir led by Dany Bouchard and Julie Migner-Laurin.
• Group and individual music therapy sessions.
• A music therapy studio for composing and recording music.
• A group therapy circle for women.
• The MAP method, which offers personalized audio editing.

Further complementing this offering, music therapy services are also available in the inpatient unit of the Montreal General Hospital.

The benefits of music therapy in mental health

"Music used in a therapeutic context helps to build a bridge between what is happening inside and outside the body, which is essential for people living with mental health issues,” explains Julie Migner-Laurin. "It doesn’t always directly address active symptoms (such as hallucinations), but rather opens pathways for expression and communication that facilitate rehabilitation and encourage well-being with oneself and others."

"Playing music engages the individual in the present moment, focuses their attention, and generates images that can later be discussed. In mental health, it offers new possibilities for self-expression," adds Julie. "We are, above all, therapists at the tip of the triangle completed by the patient and the music," says the psychologist and music therapist, whose doctoral thesis in psychology was specifically on music therapy.