What helps in Music Therapy with Traumatized Refugees?
 

Author:

Ilse Wolfram

Abstract:
In general the psychosocial condition of refugees arriving in “safe harbors” in Europe can be described as the overall feeling of insecurity on all levels, focusing on the question “can I stay here?” Underneath the efforts of “arriving” and “settling” lie the effects of traumatizing events in their home country (war, torture, repression or prosecution), or from situations during the flight. In Germany, psychosocial centers for refugees have been founded in order to provide general psychosocial counseling and psychotherapeutic help.

Within the centers for refugees music therapy, however, is not yet as widely spread. First, the author shows survey data on the existing practices concerning the topic. Secondly, the author describes her personal approach based on music therapy with refugees in connection with a psychosocial center in Bremen/Germany, in three perspectives: theory and practice of the Musical Life Panorama (MLP) with an adult female refugee from Kosovo, music therapeutic resource work with a political refugee from Sri Lanka, and a project of group music therapy with refugees from various countries and both sexes.

In the third part, the author resumes her therapeutic “attitude” based on her training in Integrative Music Therapy. Especially through the MLP, social and cultural aspects can systematically be explored  and brought into the therapeutic dialogue. In Integrative Therapy and its methods the concept of correspondence, co-respondence, is of central importance.
Finally, the author presents the idea that human qualities and values as well as a democratic model in the person of the therapist are of utmost importance during this work.
 

Keywords:

psychosocial-center, trauma, resources, MLP (Musical Life Panorama), human values

Biographical details:
Ilse Wolfram, is Diplom Social Worker (University of Applied Sciences Munich), Diplom Psychologist (with focus on Organizational Psychology - University Bremen), Integrative Music Therapist (Europäische Akademie für Psychosoziale Gesundheit EAG/FPI).

She is social worker and music therapist. 20 years of engagement in professional organizations, co-founder of Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Musiktherapie (BAG), German delegate into EMTC since 2002. Co-founder of BIM – Bremer Institut für Musiktherapie in 2000.
The professional music therapeutic experience includes work with patients with acquired brain damage and with refugees after a special training by Refugio Bremen in psychotraumatology.