Community music therapy with refugee children in transit camps on the Greek island of Chios

This chapter is based on a five-year practice-led exploration of group music therapy with refugee children on the Greek island of Chios. Although an increasing number of music therapists work with refugees, practice is only sparsely documented, and there are rare accounts of work within transit camps to date. This chapter seeks to contribute to this gap. Extending beyond trauma-specific considerations, we outline the development of a community-oriented approach to music therapy in relation to the everyday refugee experience within formal and informal transit camps. The narratives and insights emerging from this exploration are explored alongside the principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA). We reflect on the role of music therapy in relation to refugee children's experience of crisis and adversity. Future directions that are transferable to other similar contexts of practice are discussed.