Music therapy is an allied healthcare profession which uses music to address the therapeutic needs of a range of clinical populations. Rigorous scientific research has been required to establish the field’s place within health systems. As a result, the communication of the profession’s value is limited to field specific journals. Conversely, when music therapy is rarely presented in the mainstream media, it is often reduced to a short snippet “feel good’ story, overlooking the depth and efficacy of the field.

This presentation describes a successful approach to addressing the challenges of translating knowledge and communicating the value of a psychotherapeutic field to the general public. The experience of the music therapist working in palliative care is contextualised through an arts literature lens to develop a personal memoir published in Meanjin Quarterly. As a result the field of music therapy begins to become an accessible part of the Australian literary and cultural landscape.