Trauma and creative healing: Reflections on providing music therapy in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Pavarotti Music Centre in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created to use music and the arts to address the traumas resulting from the Civil Wars. This article uses a case study to outline how the Centre’s music therapy department addressed intergenerational trauma in children following the wars. In addition, themes from the author’s recent qualitative research serve as a lens to re-examine the therapeutic work in a post-war environment. Resources for therapists, such as supervision, personal therapy and creative arts outlets, are highlighted. Self-examination is considered as it relates to sociocultural elements of a host country.