Art and music therapists
Art and music therapists are employed across Nottinghamshire Healthcare, delivering therapy to children and young people (CAMHS community and inpatient) and patients in secure services. Arts therapists work closely with colleagues from a range of professions, to offer both individual and group assessment and treatment to clients. They work across with patients from admission to discharge.
The Art and Music Therapy Team based at Rampton Hospital provides bespoke interventions, including co-facilitation of core psychological treatment groups such as the Violent Offending Treatment groups and the Fire Setting Treatment programme. It also incorporates an outreach team of core creative psychotherapists (art, music and drama) who provide specific work into specialist learning disability and personality disorder therapeutic communities, based in both HMP Dovegate and HMP Gartree. Art therapy also takes place in the Wells Road Centre; providing 1:1 access and some group treatment for patients admitted there.
All arts therapists are committed to providing a robust therapeutic framework which is evidence based and allows the individual to explore their core treatment aims. The arts therapists aim to work with individuals to promote positive behavioural changes, reduction of risk, increased self-esteem and importantly support them on their recovery journey. The interventions offered by music therapists and art psychotherapists are designed to enable effective long-term change and recovery.
Career stories
Rhian Saville, Music Psychotherapist
Pre-registration
Rhian celebrated working for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for 25 years in 2020!! Rhian has always loved music and she spent most of her teenage years playing her flute in youth orchestras around Kent. It was therefore a natural progression to undertake a music degree at Sheffield University. Whilst there Rhian had an opportunity to work in a Montessori nursery, providing experiences through play to young children, and this gave her her first exposure to using music in a different, interactive way. She found out about training to be a Music Therapist, and moved to London to complete a postgraduate diploma in music therapy at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Preceptee experience
Rhian had a broad range of experience of placements in child and adult mental health in her training, and on qualifying she moved up to Nottingham to start working in special schools as well as an adult mental health unit. Her interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders developed during these first few years, and she joined the Trust in 1995 at Highbury Hospital as a Senior 2 working with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Music therapy posts are often part time and so Rhian combined her roles with teaching flute to local children and adults.
Leadership
Rhian had the opportunity to act up when the Senior 1 went on maternity leave and then she secured it permanently when it was advertised. During that time there were lots of opportunities to develop services and the team grew to include art and music therapists. Rhian developed her interest in research and completed her MA whilst undertaking a time limited project in CAMHS, as well as publishing in the areas of ASD and outcome measures. Rhian enjoyed the variety of leading a diverse arts therapies team alongside her own clinical work as well as developing a supervision practise outside the NHS. Following the decommissioning of the IDD music therapy service in 2018 Rhian returned to CAMHS and has enjoyed the new challenges this has brought. Rhian has recently been elected as an AHP Governor for the Trust and is looking forward to the opportunities this will bring.
Lessons
Music Therapy can allow for a healthy mix of your personal music skills, clinical experiences and leadership opportunities within a wide range of clinical areas.