Slovakia
Association of Music Therapists of the Slovak Republic
Country Representative
Linda Horváthová
Music Therapist
I have been a music therapist since 2014. My main field of work is with children suffering from cancer and their families (as a psychologist), with people with special needs (mental and physical handicap, multiple disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, CVI) and in the field of psychotherapy and mental health, where I connect music therapy with Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy. I am trained as an end of life doula and am interested in palliative music therapy.
Contact me at: liinda.horvathova@gmail.com
Discover more about Music Therapy in Slovakia
From the 1940s to1960s, music therapy was integrated into practice in the Psychiatric Clinic in Pezinok (led by Karol Matulay, Ondrej Kondáš, Jozef Török and Jozef Pogády), and the Psychiatric Clinic in Bratislava (headed by Ján Molčan). A more systematic attitude in music therapy characterised the Healthcare Facility for Emotionally Disturbed Children in Ľubovňa. Thanks to Veronika Wohlandová -Bednárová, in 1967, the Clinic of Psychology and Education in Bratislava started to apply rhythmic and instrumental elements of music therapy in the treatment of people suffering from neurosis.
In 1968, music therapy began to be used in a coherent way in Bratislava in the Educational and Psychological Counselling Facility under the guidance of Zlatica Mátejová and Silvester Mašura. They applied music therapy with children with minor brain dysfunction, neurosis, behavioural disorders, speech disorders (e.g., stuttering, dysphasia, delayed speech development) and intellectual disabilities. In applying music therapy, they collaborated with the psychologists of the facility.
In Slovakia, the Institute of Special and Therapeutic Education [Inštitút špeciálnej a liečebnej pedagogiky] was established in 1967 in the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University in Bratislava. In 1982, the department of therapeutic education merged with the department of special education. The curriculum of therapeutic education included lectures on art therapy, bibliotherapy, music therapy, psychomotor therapy, play therapy and occupational therapy. Lectures on music therapy in therapeutic education and on special music education were delivered by Zlatica Mátejová, one of the founders of music therapy in education in Slovakia. In 1993 and 1994, specialised qualifications in music therapy could be gained by completing a music therapy course under the Slovak Association for Psychotherapy.
Clinical psychologist and lecturer of music therapy courses, Jaroslava Gajdošíková – Zeleiová focused on music therapy in Slovakia. She has authored several publications in the field of music therapy, moving music therapy a step closer to obtaining a professional concept.
In 2011, the Slovak Association for Music Therapy, a civic association, was established with the aim of bringing together experts in the field and all those interested in music therapy. It aimed to achieve a professional profiling of music therapy in Slovakia. Its activities promoted the development of the theory and practice of music therapy in various sectors, and it focused, in a targeted way, on achieving State recognition of the music therapy profession at a national level. In 2012, it became a member of the EMTC, but it was dissolved in 2013. The founders and representatives of this association were Jaroslava Gajdošíková Zeleiová, Martina Krušinská, Eva Králová, Miro Randuška.
Ten years later, the Association of Music Therapists of Slovakia was founded. Today, AMTS is working on professional standards and has became an active member of the EMTC.
In Slovakia, music therapy is mostly provided in the field of social work, in welfare and family services, and it is used in psychiatric facilities. The music therapy profession is not clearly defined in legislation. In Slovakia, music therapy is currently legally addressed by Act No. 448/2008 Coll. on Social Services and in the Amendment of Act No. 578/2004 on health care providers, health care workers, statutory organisations in the healthcare sector.
Despite music therapy proving to be a suitable approach for addressing various problems, the field of study is absent from universities in Slovakia. A music therapy course is offered by the Department of Therapeutic Education (led by Mária Habalová) in the Faculty of Education at Comenius University in Bratislava. There are also semesters of music therapy in the Department of Special Education (Margaréta Osvaldová) at the same university and in the Department of School Education in the Faculty of Education at Trnava University (Peter Kusý). There are also courses with accreditation of Ministry od Education conducted in civic association Animamundi (Linda Horváthová) and other courses in organizations Mterapio, Naturezza or courses led by foreign music therapists (Matěj Lipský, Jiří Kantor, Jana Weber, Wolfgang Mastnak, Markéta Gerlichová etc.). Czech instructors often collaborate with Anton Gúth, founder of Ethnodrum School – Rhythm, who focuses on percussion.
In Slovakia, music therapy is practised by psychologists, psychotherapists, special educators, medical educators, music educators, social educators, social workers…
Slovak music therapy practice includes people who have obtained university level music therapy education abroad, who have completed a long-term music therapy course available in Slovakia or who have completed semesters dedicated to music therapy at Slovak universities. However, there are no bachelor’s or master’s programmes solely dedicated to music therapy in Slovakia.
More information: Halmo, J. (2022). Music therapy in Slovakia: Context and current practice. In Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy. ISSN: 2459-3338
Amtmannová, E. (2003). Muzikoterapia v liečebnej pedagogike. Pedagogická Fakulta Univerzity Komenského.
Habalová, M. (2024). Prolegoména muzikoterapie v liečebnej pedagogike. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského.
Kusý, P. (2015). Interpersonal behavior and music preferences of older school age children. McGreevy, M. & Rita, R. 2015. CER Comparative European Research 2015. pp. 186 – 189. ISBN 978-0-9928772-6-2
Kusý, P. (2018). Interpersonálna teória hudby. Nymburk: VEGA-L.
Mátejová , Z., & Mašura, S. (1992). Muzikoterapia v špeciálnej a liečebnej pedagogike. Bratislava: Slovenské pedagogické nakladateľstvo.
Zeleiová, J. (2002). Muzikoterapia – dialóg s chvením: Východiská, koncepty, princípy a praktická aplikácia. SAV: Institute of Musicology.
Zeleiová, J. (2012). Psychodynamické aspekty muzikoterapie. Trnava: Trnavská Univerzita.
Click on the mapto explore music therapy in other countries
