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SECTION: Music for Mental and Physical Health COUNTRY: Greece PROJECT: MUSIC THERAPY CENTER OF THESSALONIKI DESCRIPTION: The Music Therapy Center of Thessaloniki, Greece was founded in 1992. Since its inception it has been offering music therapy to children and adults with disabilities (mental, physical, learning, etc.), psychotic clients, and individuals and families who suffer from anxiety, trauma, loss and serious illness. Improvisational music as well as music and imagery models are used. Psychological approaches include humanistic and psychoanalytic models. Since 1994, the center has developed a community music therapy program that enables participants (children and adults with disabilities) to perform in live events, either in a separate venue or as part of generic venues. All of the participants discovered and developed their artistic skills (music playing, poetry, dancing) through individual music therapy sessions prior to their community music therapy activities. Positive changes have occurred in the lives of the performers and their families and the program has furthered the clients‟ inclusion in their social environments. Since 1996, the Music Therapy Center of Thessaloniki has been running a master‟s level training program in music therapy in collaboration with educational institutions in Greece and abroad. Music therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, art therapists and professionals of related fields from Greece and abroad have been training music therapists from all over Greece. The program has been held in collaboration with the Music College of Thessaloniki and many of the students are now working professionals in music therapy in Greece and abroad. The center also offers supervision services to music therapists and therapists from other fields since 1997. CURRENT STATUS: The Music Therapy Center has also established open collaborations and placements for music therapy work with hospitals, mental institutions, nonprofit organizations and other health related establishments throughout Greece. Certain of these institutions have dedicated resources to support the work of music therapists. The music therapy center of Thessaloniki has also been organizing seminars, conferences and other events. Representatives of the center have also been attending and presenting in conferences around the world. The Music Therapy Center of Thessaloniki is supported by private funds and at occasions offers voluntary work to the community. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION: The Music Therapy Center of Thessaloniki has collaborated in conducting research with the graduate program of the medical school of the University of Thessaloniki. Currently there is ongoing research with the adolescent unit of the psychiatric clinic of AHEPA university hospital in Thessaloniki that involves understanding the impact that creative expression in music has on mental health. There is also ongoing research on the benefits of community music therapy for children and adults with disabilities. Program evaluation research has focused on the effectiveness of music therapy interventions in Greece. 118

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: www.musictherapy-center.gr Publications: Psaltopoulou, D., and Miheli, M., (2010). Research: Music Therapy’s contribution for people with disabilities. Second National Psychiatric Conference: Art and Psychiatry. Organizers EPEKEINA, Hania, Crete (Publication in Press). Psaltopoulou, D. (2005): The music creative expression as a therapeutic means for emotionally disturbed children, Dissertation, AUTH. CONTACT INFORMATION: Organization: Music Therapy Center Address: Proxenou koromila, 3154622 Thessaloniki, Greece Phone: +306944767692 and Fax: +302310287818 Contact Person: Dora Psaltopoulou-Kamini, Ph.D, MA-CMT, Lecturer, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Email: dora.ps@gmail.com 119