“Nobody Sees Me Lying There With Depression” : an arts-based research project on a music therapy intern’s experience of major depressive disorder

Abstract

Through arts-based research, I studied my experience as a music therapy intern with major depressive disorder. I explored how a depressive episode impacted my work as an intern and how the episode affected my transition from intern to therapist. During the internship, I recorded improvisations to process the depressive episode. Two years after I completed the internship, I revisited these improvisations with prose poem responses. After finding themes and significant phrases, I composed a song entitled “Nobody Sees Me”. This arts-based project focuses on my unique experience, but the project has professional and academic implications. The project demonstrates a need for mental health services for graduate students, and my personal journey may provide support for music therapy interns and students with disorders of mental health.