Editorial

As a young music therapy practitioner I was always seeking out papers in journals that were relevant to my work; first in dementia care and adult mental health, and later in paediatric burn injury. I usually sought information directly from the music therapy journals. I did know of The Arts in Psychotherapy but psychotherapy seemed such a big word to me. I could and did claim that I was psychodynamic in my thinking but I struggled to claim psychotherapy as my practice. At an early stage of my academic career I even rejected the opportunity to contribute to a book on psychotherapy because I did not believe I had the right training or experience. Later, when I read the book, I realised that of course I have always had a psychotherapeutic dimension to my practice, and I do belong in the psychotherapy community within music therapy. I uphold the values of relational and client-led practice, and I continue to be inspired by the many psychotherapeutic approaches to practice across the creative arts therapies.