This study investigated the success and failure factors of the implementation of a blended music therapy intervention for people with frontotemporal dementia living at home and their caregivers. The intervention consisted of individual music therapy for three months combined with a customized digital support program that was offered via a tablet and could be used at any time by the person with frontotemporal dementia and/or caregiver(s). After this intervention period, both the participants and the music therapists were interviewed to evaluate their experiences with the intervention. In addition, the effects on problem behavior and well-being were monitored via a research tool. This study has provided clear advice for music therapists in practice and has been approved by Alzheimer Nederland. The findings and advice will be published in 2025 and made easily available to national practice. This research is funded by Alzheimer Nederland.
The research concerns a collaboration between Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdan UMC, ArtEZ, Roxelane Care and Coöperatie KenVaK. The contact person from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences is Anna-Eva Prick.
Since 2022, KenVaK has been a consortium partner of SPREAD+ (Sustainable and PeRsonalisEd Advances in Dementia care). SPREAD+ aims to improve the quality of life of people with dementia, their care partners and healthcare and welfare professionals by offering tailor-made applications that use innovative psychosocial and technological support in all phases of dementia care and support. As part of the ZonMw Dementia Research Programme, the consortium consists of a national collaboration of universities, universities of applied sciences and other knowledge institutions, in addition to practical organisations and companies. SPREAD+ is funded by Alzheimer Nederland and Health Holland (WE.32-2022-01). More details about this 4.5 year project (2022-2027) and its partners can be found at: https://www.alzheimer-nederland.nl/onderzoek/projecten/spread
KenVaK is specifically involved in two work packages within SPREAD:
A PhD research by Femke Muller aimed at (further) developing, describing, evaluating and sustainably disseminating a psychosocial intervention with a specific focus on creative arts therapies aimed at promoting relationships and psychological well-being together with supervisor Prof. Dr. Debby Gerritsen (UKON) and co-supervisors Dr. Roeslan Leontjevas (UKON/OU) and Dr. Anna-Eva Prick (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences).
A second work package includes a wide range of (research) activities that are intended to support joint learning and implementation within SPREAD+. Within this work package, we investigate existing innovative learning environments for current and future professionals in health and social care to identify opportunities for a better connection of research with learning and implementation in dementia care and support.
SPREAD+ concerns a large consortium led by the Alzheimer Center Limburg (Prof. dr. Marjolein de Vugt), Radboudumc Alzheimer Center/UKON (Prof. dr. Debby Gerritsen), University Network for Elderly Care UMC Groningen (Prof. dr. Sytse Zuidema) and Windesheim University of Applied Sciences (dr. ir. Simone de Bruin). In addition, Tilburg University, Trimbos Institute, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Alzheimer Center Groningen, Expertise Center Pharos, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, InHolland University of Applied Sciences and the Erasmus Alzheimer Center are part of the consortium. The contact person from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences is Anna-Eva Prick.
Depression is a serious problem, also among young adult students. In order to reduce depressive symptoms and promote well-being, the music therapy program Emotion-regulating Improvisational Music Therapy (EIMT) was developed by Sonja Aalbers. After participating EIMT, young adult students in a University context may experience less depressive symptoms, improvement of their emotion regulation in stressful situations and less negative feelings. This research focuses on understanding the underlying EIMT mechanisms, including changes in brain activity of young adult students after participating EIMT. It is assumed that brain activity of these students changes after participating EIMT.
The main goal of this study is improved understanding of brain activity of young adult students after participating EIMT. This study aims to formulate hypotheses for future large-scale fMRI research on the effectiveness of creative art therapy on emotion regulation. In addition, the study intents to gain insight into the effects of EIMT on depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, and the experiences with the applied data collection methods and EIMT.
This is investigated by functional MRI (fMRI) scans, which are performed prior to and after completion of EIMT. The EIMT program includes ten weeks, consisting of weekly one-hour individual music therapy sessions. In addition, participants receive quantitative questionnaires and an interview. Five young adult students with at least mild depressive symptoms, aged 16 – 40 years old, studying at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences Heerlen, participate in this study. Based on the collected fMRI data, the most important study parameter is the functional connectivity between brain areas that are known to be part of emotion regulation networks. This study is also part of the creative minds projects.
Research is conducted at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht University, Open University and Scannexus. Zuyd University contact person is Vera Nyssen.
There is a practical and knowledge gap regarding suitable interventions to reduce stress and enhance resilience in the collaboration between people with intellectual disabilities, their family members, and caregivers. Preliminary outcomes of this project showed that the use of expressive therapies (music and movement) is a promising approach.
The goal of this research is to develop a scientifically validated, practically tested intervention design that addresses two key aspects: a) strengthening resilience in dealing with stress for both the person with intellectual disabilities and their family members and caregivers, and b) enhancing collaboration in this triangular relationship during stressful situations. This intervention offers clear and directly applicable methods for clinical practice within the context of daily support for stress of EVB+ clients, relatives and supervisors.
Main Question:
How can an intervention with expressive therapy elements (music and movement) develop resilience in managing stress for clients, their family members, and caregivers, while simultaneously improving collaboration within the triangular relationship?
Sub-questions:
Sub-question 1: Which elements of interventions contribute to resilience in ID clients, their family members, and caregivers?
Sub-question 2: What aspects do stakeholders (caregivers, expressive therapists, other care professionals, and family members) consider essential in improving resilience to stress in both the client, family members, and caregivers, to foster better collaboration in the triangular relationship?
Sub-question 3: How can an intervention focused on developing resilience to stress for ID clients be designed so that it simultaneously improves collaboration within the triangular relationship between clients, family members, and caregivers?
Sub-question 4: What is the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of this intervention?
The research concerns a collaboration between Koraal, Tilburg University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. The contact person from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences is Anna-Eva Prick.
Recently, healthcare professionals and researchers in the Netherlands have set up initiatives aimed at developing care and support services in the community which are especially geared towards people with a mild intellectual disability and associated conditions. The aim of these initiatives is to reduce the number of people with mild intellectual disabilities who are referred or re-referred to in-patient care as much as possible, with the view of enabling these people to live in their own home, enjoying a good quality of life, for as long as possible.
It is striking that primarily verbal interventions are used within developing care teams, even though people with mild intellectual disabilities struggle to process information that is communicated verbally. Using non-verbal and more experiential methods ought to improve the working methods within these care teams. Thanks to its use of non-verbal and experiential methods, arts therapy provides an effective manner of dealing with the conditions associated with mild intellectual disabilities. A growing number of studies demonstrate that arts therapies are a very promising treatment for people with an intellectual disability or behavioural problems. However, arts therapists are unsure as to how to apply arts therapy in order to deliver this result.
This innovation programme addresses the questions which arts therapists ask themselves: how and in which form can outpatient care teams, such as FACT (Flexible Assertive Community Treatment) teams, work to ensure that people with mild intellectual disabilities can live independently in their own homes for as long as possible?
Arts therapists, healthcare professionals, and lecturers/researchers from a consortium consisting of Idris specialist treatment centre for children, adults, and elderly people with mild intellectual disabilities, STEVIG diagnostic and research centre, Koraal Groep, Trimbos Institute research centre, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, HAN University of Applied Sciences, and Stenden University of Applied Sciences will address this question. They will do this by investigating the effects of arts therapy on people with mild intellectual disabilities in or around care teams in the community. Through the use of qualitative and quantitative research, they will investigate this question in co-creation with social workers, students, and lecturer/researchers. The consortium aims to develop a treatment method which revolves around arts therapy and which can be implemented effectively and flexibly in the social environment of those living with a mild intellectual disability, so reducing the number referred or re-referred to in-patient care.
The project was made possible by the RAAK-Publiek grant, which stimulates the cooperation and knowledge exchange between universities and professionals from the public sector. This grant is allocated by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, the Dutch national coordinating body which promotes and finances practically-oriented research in universities.
Witte, M.J. de., Bellemans, T., Tukker, K., Hooren, S. van. (2017). Vaktherapie. In: Bruijn, J. de, Vonk, J., Broek, A. van den & Twint, B. (2017). Handboek Emotionele ontwikkeling & verstandelijke beperking. Amsterdam: Boom.
Verdonschot, Witte, M. de, Berghs, M., Bootsma M., Moonen, X. & Hooren, S. van (2016). (Be)Leef in de wijk – Ontwikkeling van een vaktherapeutische wijkgerichte verwijs- en behandelroute voor mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking. Tijdschrift voor vaktherapie, 4 (12), 15-19.
Van Hooren, S., De Witte, M, Didden, R., & Moonen, X. (2016). Vaktherapieën. In R. Didden, W. Groen, X. Moonen, & P. Troost. Psychische problemen van kinderen en jongvolwassenen met een LVB. Utrecht: de Tijdstroom.
Stay Tuned focuses on the working relationship between arts therapists and young people who are involuntarily admitted to a mental health institution. Arts therapists indicate that fostering a working relationship, which is also referred to as a ‘working alliance,’ between the young people and the therapist is an important component in their therapy. General factors such as empathy, trust, and safety play an important role within the working alliance between the young person and the arts therapist. Therapists believe a working alliance makes a crucial contribution to achieving goals: if the therapist does not invest time and effort into fostering a working alliance with the young person, then the process of therapy and successful treatment is virtually impossible. Therapists also indicate that it is precisely within the framework of involuntary admission that the issue around fostering a working alliance is most challenging, and that much of the effort invested into fostering this alliance is based on intuition.
In this project, the alliance monitor by Menger and Donker (2013) will be made practicable for and tested amongst arts therapists and young people who have been involuntarily admitted to a mental health institution. This will develop an aid, which is geared toward the overarching key factor ‘the working alliance,’ for arts therapists who work with young people admitted involuntarily to a mental health institution.
This project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.
Nowadays, there is a large demand to prove the effectiveness of arts therapies and increase the evidence of this. When researching the effectiveness of these therapies, questionnaires are often used or research is based on the experiences of clients. Due to therapies’ experiential and activity-oriented nature, it is conceivable that we need to study more unconscious processes by performing measurements on the body in order to produce a picture of the effects of these therapies. Within the framework of the project ‘Creative Minds,’ a community of practice will be established as a place for researchers, lecturers in arts therapies, lecturers in biometry, art therapists, and students to work together. The focus here is to connect the disciplines of biometry and arts therapies. This is so that research can be carried out into identifying which research questions are relevant for further research, as well as into which ways psycho-physiological measurements, such as heartbeat measurements, EEG, or movements, can be performed within arts therapies.
The goal of this dissertation is to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge on music interventions for stress reduction. To cope with the negative impact of stress, millions of people around the world use tranquilizing medication, which in turn is associated with numerous contraindications and negative side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and examine innovative and non-pharmacological interventions for stress reduction, especially for patient populations known to be more vulnerable to stress such as those with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). Moreover, the stress-reducing qualities of music have been associated with a broad range of positive outcomes in both medical and mental healthcare settings. This dissertation therefore aims to increase scientific knowledge on (a) the effects of different types of music interventions on stress-related outcomes, (b) how and why music interventions may specifically lead to stress-reducing effects, and (c) how stress can be accurately assessed, specifically in people with MID. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that music interventions in the form of both music listening interventions and in the context of music therapy can greatly benefit patients in medical and mental health care settings. Furthermore, the added value of a qualified music therapist offering the music interventions is emphasized, which can be explained by the personalized, tailored approach of the music therapist. Despite the difficulty of examining these music therapy interventions, more robust research is needed, especially in patient populations proven to be more vulnerable to stress as those with cognitive impairments. The results of this dissertation also highlight the need for continued efforts to develop high-quality self-report stress measures for people with the MID to assess stress-related outcomes as valid and reliable as possible. Finally, future research that focuses on both efficacy and hypothesized therapeutic factors is crucial to the further implementation of music therapy interventions in healthcare settings, particularly when it comes to stress reduction.
The main goal of art therapy observation and assessment is to gain insight in a client’s mental health and functioning. Based on assessment, it can be decided whether the client may benefit from art therapy, the focus of treatment and which interventions contribute to the clients’ mental health. This research shows how aspects of clients’ mental health are expressed in clients’ art making processes (i.e. material interaction) and art products in art therapy assessment.
Would you like to read the thesis ‘Art form and mental health. Studies on art therapy observation and assessment in adult mental health’? Click here or here.
Children with autism are often referred to art therapy sessions. This is because they suffer from communication problems, often have a negative image of themselves, and have behavioural problems (Schweizer et al., 2014). However, little is currently known about the effects and the effectiveness of the treatment.
This PhD research consists of four phases:
Systematic review. This involves a literature study as part of which all English language publications regarding art therapy for autistic children are analysed. In the publications, please see: Art therapy with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A review of clinical case descriptions on ‘what works’.
Standardizing terms. In 2015, the most important terms found in the literature study will be standardized according to the Delphi method.
Checking the treatment programme and observation checklist. The standardized terms will then be tested in practice in the form of an observation list and treatment programme. Parents and teachers will be involved in this process. In 2015 to 2016, they will state the treatment results using the standardized questionnaires.
Validating the observation checklist and treatment programme in 2016.
Professor Erik J. Knorth from the Orthopedagogy department of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen will act as supervisor. The co-supervisor will be Marinus Spreen, Associate Professor of Social Work & Arts Therapies at Stenden University of Applied Sciences.
This two-part research project focuses on art therapy amongst patients with Cluster B and C personality disorders.
The first part concerns the development of an effective, practicable, and specific arts therapy feedback instrument for this target group. The art therapy can be monitored and, if required, adjusted through the systematic use of patient feedback. We will test the art therapy feedback instrument (BTV-PS b/c) according to its reliability, validity, and usability, and will also compile instructions on how to use it. We will use the questionnaire as a basis to map out the results from the art therapy.
The second part of this research involves a randomized controlled trial which will determine the effectiveness of the art therapy. The goal of this is to contribute to the empirical underpinning of art therapy among the respective target group, as well as to contribute to the professionalization of art therapy and to its position within the area of activity.
This research is being supported by the HAN University of Applied Sciences & Scelta and GGNet, an organization for mental health care.
Professor Giel Hutschemaekers from the Academic Centre for Social Sciences at Radboud University in Nijmegen will act as supervisor.
Dr Susan van Hooren, Associate Professor for arts therapies for the research centre of arts therapies at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (KenVaK) will act as co-supervisor.
Amongst other things, this research will further explore the effect of specialized music educatoin on the mental and physical functioning of children aged between six and nine years old. Specialised music education aims to encourage the child to further develop his or her musical, cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities. Given the impact of executive functions on learning conditions and learning achievements, this research specifically hones in on the effects this method has on executive functioning.
Using an experiment-like approach, the project will gather data regarding the executive functioning, learning achievements, and behaviour at four intervals throughout the academic year 2014 to 2015. This will be carried out via neuropsychological research, observations during music lessons, and questionnaires for parents and teaching staff. Data was gathered at different schools for standard and special primary education in the Dutch province of Limburg.
In the Netherlands, around 175,000 children and young people struggle with the effects of a mental disorder which restricts them in varying degrees in their day-to-day life (Dutch Association of Mental Health and Addiction Care [GGZ Nederland], 2015). Despite the availability of effective treatments, it is not possible to provide effective treatment to a considerable number of young people. The ‘Games 4 Therapy’ project by RAAK is a cooperative project between institutions offering prospective healthcare professionals practical training and knowledge centres. It aims to develop an applied game which will enhance the effectiveness of treatment given to young people with externalizing behaviour.
This project was made possible by the RAAK-Publiek grant, which stimulates the cooperation and knowledge exchange between universities and professionals from the public sector. This grant is allocated by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, the Dutch national coordinating body which promotes and finances practically-oriented research in universities.
The contact person from KenVaK for this project is Dries Booten.
In her doctoral thesis entitled Geteilte Zeit – gemeinsame Zeit: Entwicklung eines Messinstruments zum Timing in der Musiktherapie mit autistischen Kindern‘ (Shared time – time together: Development of a measuring instrument for timing in music therapy with autistic children), Kathinka Poismans describes the measuring instruments she calls ‘InTiME,’ an acronym which stands for ‘Instrument for Timing in Music Therapy Evaluation’. The instrument measures the timing in the musical interaction between the music therapists and the autistic child. People with autism demonstrate divergent timing within social interactions. For instance, they may struggle to clap along with other people during a concert.
Negative consequences for interaction
The ability to time actions and reactions is already present in childhood, and ensures the development and maintenance of parent-child interactions. Healthy babies are born with this ability; they are able to recognize pulse, rhythm, and duration. However, the ability of autistic children to recognize these elements is weaker, which has a negative impact on the interaction between the autistic child and his/her parents. As this places a burden on the parent-child interaction, it also has a negative impact on the child’s overall social, emotional, and cognitive development.
A reliable and valid measuring instrument
Activities in the field and earlier research have demonstrated that music therapy can help autistic children to develop better timing. However, no large-scale research has been carried out in this area. Thanks to the reliable and validated measuring instrument known as InTiME, it is possible to carry out research amongst larger groups.
PUBLICATION THESIS
Poismans, K. (2014). Geteilte Zeit – gemeinsame Zeit. Entwicklung eines Messinstruments zum Timing in der Musiktherapie mit autistischen Kindern (doctoral dissertation). Enschede: Ipskamp drukkers.
Download here the associated German decision field.
The current psychiatric treatment of children and young people consists primarily of classic therapies which take place at the mental health care facility. However, interviews with young people have shown that they would prefer to be contacted via Internet or social media. The use of interactive media, game elements, and applied games is also an effective method of motivating young people to alter their behaviour. Mental health care facilities have developed the app ‘M’n Mattie’ (‘My Mate’) to give young people and their parents more control over their treatment process. Building blocks were developed within the framework of this project in order to launch this app in a healthcare context.
This project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.
The contact person for this project is Dries Booten.
The project, which ran from 2009 to 2011, was carried out to develop effective best practices in the field of arts therapies within youth forensic institutions for young people and secured youth mental health care units. In 2011, the project was awarded the prize for the best practically-oriented research by the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences. The results from this project are described in a framework document for all arts therapies and five e-books. Please see the ‘publications’ section on this site.
This project was made possible by the RAAK-Publiek grant, which stimulates the cooperation and knowledge exchange between universities and professionals from the public sector. This grant is allocated by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, the Dutch national coordinating body which promotes and finances practically-oriented research in universities.
The project, which ran between 2011 to 2013, was the product of a specific request from the arts therapists at the Vincent van Gogh mental health care facility to receive support for the development of new interventions for integrated care. The project aims to develop efficient and effective arts therapies, or ‘best practices,’ for people with mental health disorders, which will be applied in the new practice of integrated care. These interventions were developed by creating communities or practices within the organization, after which the interventions were evaluated by means of a process evaluation and impact evaluation. The interventions and the process are relevant to practice and science, and have also been incorporated into the programme curriculum of courses for arts therapies at universities.
This project was made possible by the RAAK-Publiek grant, which stimulates the cooperation and knowledge exchange between universities and professionals from the public sector. This grant is allocated by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, the Dutch national coordinating body which promotes and finances practically-oriented research in universities.
Within the framework of this project, which ran from 2011 to 2013, arts therapists and youth workers joined forces to develop, carry out, and evaluate innovative interventions. The goal of these interventions was to empower vulnerable young people in the community. Vulnerable young people are those who are confronted with an accumulation of problems which have a negative impact on their development and which can lead to psychosocial issues, problem behaviour, troublemaking, and delinquency.
The RAAK programme began by taking stock of literature, expert knowledge, and ongoing projects in order to better adapt arts therapy to young people’s social environments. An approach was then selected in which all concerned parties, including the young people, participated intensively. Six interdisciplinary communities of practice, or ‘CoP,’ began work with six groups of vulnerable young people in the south of the Dutch province of Limburg. Each CoP involved a practising therapist, active in dance, movement, drama, music, and art therapy, a youth worker, and a group of vulnerable young people. Each group had seven to fifteen members. Alongside these, the project also involved an outer circle of relevant professionals as well as members of the community. Based on a discipline within arts therapy, each CoP developed a unique accessible intervention together with the young people.
The development, implementation, and evaluation of the interventions were investigated using a participative action research in dialogue with the central partners in the community. The evaluation of the developed interventions was carried out by means of mixed methods research.
The findings from the partial projects were compiled into a checklist of Dos and Don’ts for arts therapy in youth work (in Dutch). This will act as a guideline to other arts therapists and youth workers who work with comparable target groups and in comparable situations of how to successfully implement similar interventions in the future.
Below you will find information about the interventions as well as several impressions of how various interventions were implemented.
Art therapy
The project leader, who was also an art therapist, and a second art therapist formed a CoP with a children’s worker from the Traject Welzijn, a study programme for intermediate vocational education care courses, and with children from a primary school in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Maastricht. The teaching staff at the school took on a supportive role. The creative arts activities in which the children participated involved producing ‘art’ which would serve to make the neighbourhood more cheerful and improve quality of life. Click here (de interventie Het Bazuinatelier and het onderzoeksverslag) to read about some impressions of how this project was carried out:
Dance movement therapy
Two project leaders for dance movement therapy, who were also dance movement therapists, and a graduate dance movement therapist formed two CoPs. The first CoP worked with a group of young people from the Icarus facility of the Stichting Jeugdzorg Sint Joseph youth care foundation (Stichting Jeugdzorgd Sint Joseph [SJSJ]) and Het Keerpunt custodial youth institution. A behavioural scientist from SJSJ was involved in this project. The second CoP was formed of a group of young people from the youth centre De Mix, which is associated with Impuls, the organization for social well-being in the Dutch city of Kerkrade. A youth worker was involved in this project. The dance movement therapy activities involved making dance videos.
The project leader, who was also a dramatherapist, and a second dramatherapist formed the CoP with the youth workers from the Traject Welzijn study programme and a community artist. The CoP worked with a group of young people from the community centre in the Mariaberg neighbourhood in Maastricht. The dramatherapy intervention involved a ‘Drama Masterclass’ with a Playback Theatre. The members of the community play an active part in the Playback Theatre.
The project leader, who was also a music therapist, formed two CoP. One CoP involved some young people from the pre-vocational special education stream of the Da Capo College in Sittard, the Netherlands. A music teacher was involved in this project ‘Vindplaats school’ (‘School location’). The music therapy intervention involved the group making music together. The second CoP worked with a group of loitering teens in the Dutch town of Stein. A youth worker from Traject Welzijn was involved in this project named ‘de Kofferbak’ (‘the Car Boot’). The idea was literally to fill a car boot with instruments and to take this to the teenagers in the street. However, despite a very promising start, this intervention did not take off, as the young people withdrew from the activities.
The project then received a new lease of life via education, practice, and research. Entrepreneurial and other students of arts therapy and Social Studies were encouraged to repeat the interventions within the framework of a work placement or graduate work placement, and to further research them in cooperation with each other. Different students have completed their degrees with a final project in dramatherapy interventions.
This project was made possible by the RAAK-Publiek grant, which stimulates the cooperation and knowledge exchange between universities and professionals from the public sector. This grant is allocated by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, the Dutch national coordinating body which promotes and finances practically-oriented research in universities.
The contact person for this project is Tineke Schoot.
