Creative Arts Therapy Advanced Research Centre Jose van den Hurk, RMT

This article describes a qualitative single-case study of the treatment of a woman having problems with grief and finding a personal identity. In this case the treatment has been sup ported by research techniques like categorizing, developing themes, writing memos, member checking, peer debriefing, and triangulation. During treatment, diagnostic themes were generated such as: problems of identity, low self-esteem, a lack of assertiveness, and problems expressing feelings and problems in relationships. These themes became important along with feelings of depression which she experienced since the death of her beloved husband. The study describes how the client was able to express, in an unconscious way, a part of her personality, which she had been suppressing since childhood, through playing the piano and vocalizing during the music therapy process. The music therapist use