Integrating Music in Counseling Practice

Music is a popular choice for counselors integrating creative therapies in practice. Music has many practical applications in counseling, as both counselors and clients can derive different benefits from listening to music and creating music. For many people, music plays a strong role in identity and can impart a sense of community, as can be seen in the correlation between music genres and subcultures.

We spoke with two National Certified Counselors about the ways they have incorporated music into their practice and research.

Michael Brooks, PhD, NCC, LCMHC-S, is a counselor educator at North Carolina A&T State University and a member of the NBCC Board of Directors. Aaron Temple, MS, NCC, PPC, is a school counselor and a recipient of the NBCC Foundation Military Scholarship.

Temple’s interest in music as a therapeutic tool grew out of his own life experience: “I think for me it started mostly out of my own personal reflection in my life and what it does for me personally as a coping strategy or skill. I play guitar, and it's something for me that's like a therapeutic tool for myself.”

Brooks has a similar personal experience.

“I never saw music and counseling being separate,” says Brooks. “I never thought of music in counseling as something that I needed to be into. I played instruments growing up, so I've always been someone who's interested in music.”

Brooks has found uses for music both in client sessions and counselor education.

“I use music in my classrooms to set a mood, to create a kind of boundary between what's outside of the classroom and what's going to happen inside,” says Brooks. “I have used some music in my counseling, kind of like a way to summarize what we've done. We would perform some open-ended freestyles before.

“For me, the music is about relating to my clients,” he says. “My clientele is heavily African American, so the music keeps me relevant. It keeps me abreast and aware of what's on the hearts and minds of this particular subculture, or the people represented by the genre.”

Brooks emphasizes music is only one part of his counseling practice: “I wouldn't call myself a ‘hip-hop therapist.’”

Temple considers music a valuable tool that any counselor might find a use for.

“There's not a large barrier to entry to use it as a processing tool for a counselor and their client, no matter what population they serve,” explains Temple. “Music is like a universal language that connects people. It has value with any population, from kids all the way to seniors, looking at the entire life span.”

Temple specifically finds music useful in his work as a school counselor.

“With adolescents in particular, it's a valuable tool because they have a hard time expressing what's going on inside,” explains Temple. “They may have a hard time putting it into words, and music is something that can open up lines of communication, and they can start to identify those feelings.”

Temple has had success with different ways of incorporating music into his work with young people, even simply asking them to share a song they identify with.

“At first, they may not know why. But you can process what's going on in themselves, the feeling and the music, and try and draw connections.”

Temple finds that music can also be a useful tool outside of session. Once clients recognize how different songs affect their mood, they can listen to those songs to help manage their emotions: “’If I'm starting to feel anxious or sad, this is something that I can use to help pick me up and change my mood.’”

Temple also sees music as an opportunity to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, particularly with adolescents.

“Oftentimes, the kind of music that they listen to, adults don't identify with,” notes Temple. “And to have an adult in their life who's taking a genuine interest in it and asking questions about it—that can build therapeutic alliance and rapport just because it's something that most adults are not willing to engage with, because music is so personal and there's often this barrier.”

A veteran himself, Temple has a keen interest in applying music to work with this population.

“When I got my NBCC Foundation scholarship, one of the things I did was research using music as a therapeutic modality with veterans suffering PTSD,” explains Temple. “I presented at the Wyoming Counseling Association Annual Conference on ways that you could use music specifically with veteran populations.”

Temple is also excited by research showing that music education in itself has benefits for veterans: “There's been some initial research that shows that participants in the Guitars for Vets program saw their symptoms of PTSD decrease more than others who receive only a traditional form of therapy.”

Whereas Temple’s research looked at incorporating music into individual therapy, Brooks has studied music as a resource for counselors to increase cultural competency. His work was published in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.

“I was studying the relationship between Black people—Black men—and police brutality,” explains Brooks. “And I've done some pieces on what it meant to be a Black man in counselor ed during the time of Black Lives Matter. It occurred to me that the discussion I was having with counselor ed has been present for years in the form of music.”

Brooks and his coauthors identified 10 hip-hop and rap songs about police violence that are commonly considered to be classics, prominent, or influential. They analyzed the selected songs and identified consistent themes, including feelings of validation, rightful retaliation, and wrongful manipulation.

“I felt like counseling hadn't always paid attention to the messages and the voices of historically marginalized groups, but also in particular mediums that speak a very authentic message,” explains Brooks. “And I thought rap did that. I was fairly confident that counseling was unaware of that message.”

Brooks sees broader implications for this approach. “The study seems pretty simple to do, but I think it reveals that there are issues and there are happenings going on right underneath our nose, and we—for whatever reason—may not be putting the proper light onto it.”


Michael Brooks is a Counselor Education Associate Professor and Program Coordinator at North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT) in Greensboro, North Carolina. His research centers on Black male success factors, counselor education pedagogy, and ex-offender recidivism and vocational rehabilitation. Dr. Brooks serves as Program Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Counseling and Rehabilitation Counselor Education PhD program. He received his BA in psychology from Morehouse College, and a MA and PhD in counselor education and supervision from the University of Central Florida. Prior to beginning a career in higher education, Dr. Brooks worked as a practicing counselor with local community mental health, outpatient substance abuse, and employee assistance agencies.

Aaron Temple is a licensed counselor in Casper, Wyoming, where he works primarily as a school counselor at a large middle school. Prior to becoming a school counselor, Temple worked as a middle school social studies teacher for 13 years. As a school counselor, he has worked with both elementary and middle school students and has worked with veterans returning to college after serving in the military. He holds a Master of Science degree in counseling and a Master of Arts degree in history.