Music Therapy in the Palliative Context - Certificate Course 2026

Expanding knowledge on the following topics: palliative medicine in Germany and the (future) development of palliative medical fields of work; the role of music therapy in palliative contexts, including medical and legal components; dying in our society; psychology of dying and end-of-life process research; holistic concepts for accompanying dying processes; phases of grief during and after dying processes; the development of death and grieving culture in Germany; transgenerational transmission and its significance for dying processes in old age; accompaniment of dying processes for children and adolescents as dying persons or relatives; comparison of existing music therapy concepts in dying processes; the role of breath in dying processes; intercultural, interreligious, and spiritual aspects of (music therapy) end-of-life care; music therapy end-of-life care as part of spiritual care concepts Music therapy self-experience: music and creative therapy biographical work regarding loss, dying, death, and grief; body-oriented music therapy self-experience; body, breath, voice, and touch as a starting point for active and receptive music therapy accompaniment in dying and grieving processes; music therapy comfort work; experiencing and guiding self-regulation processes.

Application-oriented specialist knowledge

• Anthroposophically oriented music therapy in palliative contexts
• Palliative music therapy in neonatology
• Singing and the use of the voice in palliative contexts
• Music therapy in end-of-life care

The course includes 50 units of independent study. This includes reviewing the previous module and preparing for the upcoming module. Assignments between modules are prepared. For the certificate assessment, a final paper must be completed between Module IV and Module V and presented in Module V.

Music therapists in training or with a successfully completed university degree, a comparable qualification, or corresponding professional aptitude. Also: physicians, psychologists, educators, special education teachers, social pedagogues and social workers, as well as social therapists and interested persons from related professional fields who have musical training. (e.g. voice therapy continuing education)

Date 01–03 May 2026

What is palliative care?

• Music therapy fields of work in palliative contexts
• Characteristics of music therapy work in the various palliative fields
• Self-experience
• Autobiographical work regarding one’s own experiences of loss, separation, and death; active listening

Lecturer (Sabine Rachl)

Date 12–14 June 2026

• Psychology of dying and end-of-life process research
• Phases of grief during the dying process
• Music therapy accompaniment of the immediate dying process
• The role of breath in dying processes
• Self-experience
• Breath and imagination work
• Specialist knowledge: Prof. Dr. Susann Kobus (workshop Saturday afternoon)
• Palliative music therapy in neonatology

Lecturers Sabine Rachl and Dr. Susann Kobus

Date 10–12 July 2026

Transgenerational transmission in music therapy end-of-life care

• Self-experience
• Autobiographical work: a look into one’s own past
• Working with one’s own voice as a medium of improvisation
• Working with touch
• Specialist knowledge: Elke Wünnenberg (full-day workshop on Saturday)
• Singing and the use of the voice in palliative contexts
• Use of the voice in hematology and oncology

Lecturer Sabine Rachl and Elke Wünnenberg

Date 11–13 Sept. 2026 / This module takes place at the Filderklinik in Filderstadt!!!

• Intercultural, interreligious, and spiritual aspects of end-of-life care
• Music therapy end-of-life care as part of spiritual care concepts
• Self-experience
• Imagination-based self-care methods
• Self-experience paths for strengthening resources
• Specialist knowledge: Monica Bissegger (full-day workshop Saturday)
• Anthroposophic music therapy in palliative contexts

Lecturers Sabine Rachl and Monica Bissegger

Date 23–25 Oct. 2026

• Accompanying dying processes for children and adolescents as dying persons and/or relatives
• Development of death and grieving culture in Germany
• Self-experience
• Completion of autobiographical work
• Specialist knowledge: (Prof. Dr. Dorothea Muthesius or) preferably Prof. Dr. Rosemarie Tüpker (workshop Saturday morning)
• Music therapy in end-of-life care for people with dementia
• Presentation of final papers and award of certificatesTopic of the papers (assessment for the university certificate)
  How have the experiences in the certificate course (self-experience) and the knowledge conveyed in the certificate course affected my inner attitude toward death and dying and my work – reflection on the half-year course

Lecturers Sabine Rachl and Prof. Dr. em. Rosemarie Tüpker

The course includes 50 units of independent study. This includes reviewing the previous module and preparing for the upcoming module. Assignments between the modules are prepared. For the certificate assessment, a final paper must be completed between Module IV and Module V and presented in Module V. Please discuss the format of the assessment with your lecturer.

The price for the certificate is not eligible for discounts!

Monica Bissegger
Music therapist (BVAKT), teaching therapist (BVAKT), Head of the Institute for Music Therapy, Alanus University Bonn-Alfter, teacher; music therapist at the Filderklinik, Filderstadt, anthroposophic medicine; main areas of work: psychosomatics, oncology, palliative care, internal medicine, intensive care medicine, pediatrics, neonatology; teaching at various training institutions

Prof. Dr. Susann Kobus
Prof. Dr. Susann Kobus has been a music therapist at University Medicine Essen since 2016 in the fields of neonatology and pediatrics, and a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Duisburg-Essen and at the School of Speech Therapy at the Education Academy of University Medicine Essen. She is co-founder of the Center for Artistic Therapies in Essen and heads the Artistic Therapies project there. Since 2023, Susann Kobus has been a board member of the Scientific Professional Society for Artistic Therapies.

Sabine Rachl
Educator, specialist educator for psychotraumatology (ZTK), end-of-life and grief counselor (BVT), former music therapist in the palliative care unit of Tübingen University Hospital and at the children’s hospice in Wuppertal, singing leader for healthcare facilities and nursing homes (Singende Krankenhäuser e.V.), lecturer on dealing with dying, death, and grief (DRK and throughout Germany), www.lichtinsel-alb.de, Im Wiesental 3, 72829 Engstingen, 0049 1511 7397392

Prof. Dr. Rosemarie Tüpker
Graduate music therapist (DMtG), doctorate in musicology, psychology, philosophy (University of Cologne), habilitation “Music in Rehabilitation and Therapy” (University of Dortmund). After her clinical work in psychotherapeutic care, she headed the music therapy degree programs at the University of Münster from 1990 to 2017 and, in cooperation with Münster University of Applied Sciences, helped establish music geragogy.

Elke Wünnenberg
Psychologist, psychological psychotherapist, graduate music educator, has integrated singing into her clinical work in oncology since 2004 (2004–2018 Paracelsus Scheidegg) and psychosomatics (2014–2018 Akutklinik Urbachtal); private practice in Mainz since 2019; Chairwoman of Singende Krankenhäuser e.V. since 2016.

Management edu.Art – Institute for Continuing Education in the Artistic Therapies:
Brigitta Jaroschek M.A:, Research Associate