%20(dark%20background).png)
The Impact of Rhythm and Reflection as a Model of Practice
- Simon Faulkner
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
-Setting the scene-
Occupational Therapists (OTs) have a long history of the use of arts-based practices in mental health rehabilitation services. This stems from our earliest, ancient healing rituals to modern day professions, such as art therapy and music therapy.
The use of rhythmic interventions within these different modalities has often been a core component, seen in the dance, drumming and vocal traditions, that span Indigenous communities and their healing ceremonies across the world. This has now extended to contemporary group programs found in the activity-based therapies of many mental health facilities.
Research into the benefits of art-based intervention is extensive, with over 30,000 empirical published papers showing positive impacts on our psychological, social, biological and behavioural health (Fancourt, 2026, p.6).
Despite the supporting evidence, music and other arts-based activities have, in recent times, taken a back seat in mental health treatment - to both medication and more cognitively-based therapies. In particular, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), all of which are supported through government rebates and provided by psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists.
For OTs, the increasing focus on use of talk-based cognitive therapies, aligned to the growing influence of recovery-orientated approaches to building functional independence, has led to a change in the balance of their work. Work which previously had seen a greater emphasis on activities – occupational therapies.
