Brian Acting Assistant Director, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland "I encourage clients to express their thoughts and feelings through music. They improvise on instruments they choose and I support them by playing music myself. Some of the time I'm managing other music therapists or talking to people about music therapy."

Brian spends three and a half days working with clients as a therapist and the rest of the week developing opportunities for music therapy in Scotland. Nordoff-Robbins is a music therapy charity with centres in London, New York, South Africa, Australia, Germany and Scotland.

You're in Glasgow?

Yes.

How large is your group?

There are six of us based in Glasgow now, when I started three years ago there was just me.

Do you work in your Centre?

We have one therapy room, but mostly we all work out in the community. We might be working in schools, special schools or hospitals.

How are clients referred to you?

By parents, or self-referred if they're adults. But other key workers might refer people too: social workers, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists , GPs. Music therapy is a very popular medium; particularly with people with autism, children with educational or behavioural difficulties, people with mental health issues and people with dementia or brain injuries.

What do you do when you're working with a client?

I use music as the basis for communication – I'm usually working with people who find communication difficult for various reasons. It opens up a different world for them. You see, if you're having difficulty communicating through words, when I take away the need for words, the client is able to communicate more easily. I actively encourage them to participate in music-making using tuned or untuned instruments. I encourage them to improvise then I support their improvisation by joining in. The client is saying, in their improvisation: 'This is who I am. This is what I do.'

Music therapy is different from the other therapies because the therapist and client are actively involved in making music at the same time. The process is very real and powerful; clients receive a response immediately.

What instruments do you use?

I play a piano or cello or I use my voice. Clients have a wide range of instruments to choose from. I learn a lot from the client's choice of instrument, too. For instance, do they choose a small or large instrument, do they play it fast or slow, how do they hold it, how do they play it? A music therapist has a large tool box of musical abilities to use and a wide understanding of psychology.

Clients understand that whatever is said in the session is confidential. However they also understand that if I learn they are being harmed, or that they are harming someone else, I'm bound to pass that on. I also write clinical reports – these are passed on.

You work in groups too?

The group dynamic adds another dimension. Clients play together and therefore experience powerful feedback. They also practise a lot of social skills – eye contact, waiting for others, sharing, how it feels when someone cuts across you. The dynamics of life really. The process is very real and immediate.

Do you work with other professionals?

We do sometimes. One of the projects I'm presently working on is for children aged 5 – 10 who have problems with speech and language. I'm working with a speech and language therapist; we jointly run the sessions.

Do your clients find it hard – they probably aren't used to making music?

Part of my job is to make sure clients don't feel self-conscious. The emphasis is very much on having fun.

What do you do as a manager?

I line manage the five other therapists – supervise their work, coordinate their clinical diaries, develop work programmes with them. I also lecture on a training course for music therapists. I meet with groups of people, like teachers and social workers, to explain what music therapists do.

Is the job stressful?

Stressful isn't exactly the right word. But we're working with clients who have emotional issues. So it's a requirement of being a music therapist that you must have clinical supervision. In my case I see my supervisor one hour each fortnight. We discuss cases (the sessions I run are usually videotaped or audiotaped). Our discussions are a kind of 'extra eye' on the therapy sessions I run and are, of course, confidential, themselves. These sessions are important for my own emotional well-being.

Are there any parts of your job that you don't like doing?

No. I'm lucky because my job's peripatetic – I don't think I'd like working in one place all the time. And I meet different people with a range of different diagnoses.

Best bits?

Easy – being in a room with a client or group of clients.