About Song Therapy

Song Therapy leadership training has been available in the UK since 2018 and is supported by the Song Therapy Network. The training programme is owned by West Street Creative Skills and Learning.

The certificate qualification is independently accredited by Complementary Health Professionals. CHP is allied to the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, the government sponsored agency that promotes professional practice in complementary and alternative therapy.

Our training promotes responsible, informed and sensitive group leadership ensuring the well being of participants. Students are trained in human relationships, self awareness, active listening, person centred thinking and group leadership. They offer a range of very specific therapeutic goals that can be responsibly pursued in recreational settings.

Song therapy celebrates the role of well known popular music in all its cultural and historical forms offering a safe and secure space for many who might be new to community music and who might be facing up to difficult times in their lives.

Beyond this song therapists know exactly the right time to introduce new music and new adventures. Music from different cultures, song writing, performance, creative self expression, cognitive stimulation, understanding, confidence and self worth.

Song therapy is not music therapy which is a clinical healthcare profession. Those who study Song Therapy will never attempt to establish psychological therapeutic relationships with members of their music groups. This is a very important difference between recreational song therapy and clinical music therapy.

Song therapy promotes well being through relaxation and acceptance, self worth, cognitive stimulation, reminiscence, new learning and understanding, social inclusion, encouraging motor and verbal capacity, co-ordination, micro exercise and exercise too, the temporary relief of anxiety and depression, a helping hand on a journey towards physical and mental health, a sense of connection with self and others. Self expression.

We draw inspiration from established child development psychology, creativity, connection and play. A philosophical framework too, The Tao, Humanism and Existentialism, yet embracing different religious and theological traditions without a need for judgement.

We explore the Rogerian Person Centred Therapy tradition and use it to inform our leadership training. Finally we embrace established research and evidence based practice and apply this in a responsible way in community, social care and educational settings.