Abstract

A model of feminist music therapy for the empowerment of women was developed and, using a case study approach, assessed specifically for its effectiveness in increasing self-esteem of women abused by their intimate male partners. Feminist music therapy integrates the principles and practices of feminist therapy with those of music therapy in the creation of innovative techniques, two of the most important being feminist analysis of power and gender-role socialization through lyric analysis and songwriting. Of the 35 women participants (women at two battered women's shelters in central Georgia), 6 met the criteria for inclusion in the data-collection part of the study (i.e., completion of at least 8 feminist music therapy sessions and of the final evaluation and interview). Effects of feminist music therapy were assessed through analysis of individual interviews and pre- and post-test scores on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), as well as through content analysis of the women's original compositions. Results of the TSCS indicated a marked increase in self-esteem for 4 of the 6 women, and a modest increase for 1. Results on the other 2 measures indicated an increased self-esteem for all of the women. Feminist music therapy is an effective approach for use with women recovering from abuse.