Triadic Tunes: Co-designing relationship-centred musicking to innovate supporting the social wellbeing of service users, their significant others and carers in long-term psychiatric care

The number of people requiring long-term mental healthcare is growing. Psychiatric long-term care has a severe impact on the social well-being of service-users and their significant others. Therefore, innovative ways of supporting the social relationships of service-users, their loved-ones and clinical caregivers are needed. Creating possibilities for equal, safe and positive relationships between them can benefit treatment plans in the triadic-care model (client, caregiver, significant other). Positive relationships improve the quality of life and treatment in long-term psychiatric settings. Music-making is a well-known stimulant of social relationship building therapeutically and artistically but needs careful tailoring to the contextual needs.
Triadic Tunes is an explorative, transdisciplinary research project led by Hanze research group Music in Context, together with research group Maatschappelijke Participatie van Mensen met Psychische Beperkingen, GGZ Lentis Zuidlaren, and the chamber orchestra Kamerorkest van het Noorden. To musically stimulate positive relationships at Lentis Zuidlaren, the project focuses on co-creating new musical ways to support relationships and well-being among service-users, significant others, and clinical professionals. Co-designing transdisciplinary tools for relationship-centred musicking is co-facilitated by professional musicians and a music therapist. The project aims to recognize, support and harvest the existing creative design- and social change-making power of all the participants through the musical processes to establish new, improved ways to communicate and collaborate in psychiatric long-term care.
The project runs three explorative Design Labs, using a Design Thinking-informed Participatory Action Research-approach, where musicians of Kamerorkest van het Noorden, an onsite music therapist, clinical care professionals, service users and their significant others engage in weekly collective music sessions. These session focus on improving communication, equality and feelings of safety in existing and emerging relationships. The project delivers a first prototypical design of a musicking practice, informed by research and tailored to the context, eventually aiding the support of triadic relationships.