PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This article is part of the Research TopicMusic-based Interventions for Mental Health and WellbeingView all 13 articles
Integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy into Music Therapy Methods Using a Flexibility Within Fidelity Framework
Provisionally accepted
- Houston Methodist, Houston, United States
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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched evidence-based practices in mental health treatment. While studies have examined the effectiveness of music therapy in comparison or in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy, none have examined how to use principles of cognitive behavioral therapy within the four music therapy methods using flexibility within fidelity as a framework. A real case example is provided to illustrate the incorporation of CBT principles into music therapy methods resulting in resolution of PTSD and anxiety symptoms.
Keywords: Music therapy1, psychotherapy2, cognitive behavioral therapy3, flexibility withinfidelity4, mental health5
Received: 28 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Head and Vasquez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: John Houston Head, jhhead@houstonmethodist.org
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