Music Therapy in Türkiye
Music therapy in Türkiye is formally recognised, yet access to trained practitioners is limited and public understanding is uneven. With no local training programmes and only a handful of practising music therapists, there is a gap between official recognition and everyday practice. In this context, where interest is high but reliable information is scarce, a small group of volunteers has been working steadily to clarify what music therapy is and how it can be shared responsibly.
A Volunteer Initiative Takes Shape
In 2018, Özgür Salur, one of only a handful of trained music therapists in Türkiye, founded the Müzik Terapi Akademisi (Music Therapy Academy). Working largely alone at first, he organised internationally recognised events that introduced music therapy and music medicine. The aim was simple but ambitious: to create reliable, accessible learning opportunities and to situate music therapy clearly within a wider professional landscape.
Then, in 2022, after several years of organising events independently, Özgür sent out an open call. He invited colleagues to join a voluntary collaboration focused on exploring, discussing, and clarifying what music therapy is, and what it is not. The response was strong, but the selection process was rigorous. Those who expressed interest were asked to engage seriously from the outset, including reviewing substantial introductory materials and taking part in interviews. From this process, a core group of around ten people was established and has remained actively involved.
The group brings together people with backgrounds in psychology, psychotherapy, nursing, counselling, music education, and music performance. Only two members are formally trained music therapists; the others contribute complementary expertise, academic insight, technical skills, and professional networks. The project has grown out of this mix of perspectives and experience.
Activities and Outreach
What began under the umbrella of Müzik Terapi Akademisi has developed into a genuinely collaborative, volunteer-led initiative. Over the past three years, the group has organised regular webinars, seminars, and workshops — most of them free and open to the public, some offered for a modest fee. Many events are recorded and made publicly available, creating a growing archive of Turkish-language resources on music therapy that did not previously exist.
Speakers have included internationally recognised music therapists working in areas such as addiction, palliative care, hospice work, trauma, and work with children with complex needs. Topics have ranged from foundational introductions to music therapy, to careful differentiation between music therapy, music medicine, and general music-based interventions. Events are deliberately aimed at varied audiences — sometimes psychologists, sometimes nurses, sometimes musicians or teachers — reflecting the reality of who is currently able to integrate music into practice in Türkiye.
Attendance varies by topic, but participation has steadily grown, with over 1700 webinar application forms submitted to date. Some events have attracted over 80 live participants, with strong retention throughout sessions — an important marker of engagement in a context where formal feedback mechanisms are not always culturally common. Responses often come through live chat, emails, and comments, and reflect both professional curiosity and deeply human reflection, particularly around themes such as illness, care, joy, loss, and meaning.
Working Within a Complex Professional Landscape
Leadership has been one of the most delicate aspects of the project. In Turkish culture, the role of “leader” carries particular weight, something Özgür himself has found challenging. Over time, the group has evolved into a democratic, dynamic body, allowing direction to emerge collectively rather than being rigidly defined in advance. This has been a personal learning process as much as a professional one — letting go of fixed ideas, tolerating uncertainty, and allowing the work to shape itself through the people involved.
Feedback from two members of the volunteer group illustrate this process beautifully:
“Since the very beginning, the group has continuously evolved, grounded in mutual respect and a shared desire to create together. Being part of a space that produces accurate music therapy knowledge under the leadership of Özgür Salur feels deeply valuable to me. Especially since 2025, learning from international music therapy professionals in our seminars has enriched my perspective and brought me great joy.”
“I used to hold back in group settings, even when something bothered me, just to keep the peace. But after this structure began, I found I could speak up openly, and with the group’s support, it became something really constructive. I also realized that when giving feedback, I naturally use the ‘sandwich technique’—starting positive, mentioning the negative, and ending on a positive note—without even thinking about it!
Although music therapy is officially recognised in Türkiye, it is classified as a medical intervention restricted to doctors and dentists. This has led to restrictive regulations that prevent music therapists trained abroad from practising under the professional title in Türkiye, and to a professional landscape in which influential figures sometimes claim the title of “music therapist” without appropriate training. At times, this has included attempts to silence those who challenge misinformation. In this environment, the creation of a permanent and accessible body of recorded, high-quality content has been a deliberate act of preservation. As Özgür notes, these materials are intended to remain available for future practitioners, students, and collaborators, regardless of how power structures shift.
Looking Ahead
The group will soon present a paper on this work at an international conference in Bologna, reflecting on the process and its implications. Yet the heart of the initiative remains local: strengthening understanding within Türkiye, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and modelling a collaborative approach that does not gatekeep music, but does insist on clarity, ethics, and respect for professional boundaries.
For others thinking about starting similar initiatives in places where music therapy is still developing or openly contested, Özgür points to something learned through experience rather than planning. The work needs room to change as people become involved, and space for direction to emerge rather than being fixed in advance. Much of what has made this collaboration work has come from allowing it to grow beyond one person’s original ideas.
This work reflects the wider aims of the European Music Therapy Confederation in a very practical way, through attention to ethics, shared learning, and connection beyond national borders. What is happening in Türkiye shows how much can begin simply by making space for conversation and collaboration, and by allowing the work to take shape through the unique experiences and strengths of the people involved.
Thank you to Özgür Salur and Dr. Ezgi Özeke Kocabaş for sharing this story.
