Dr. Jos De Backer

  • Research unit:
    Music & Drama
  • Research topics:
    Clinical improvisation
    Music therapeutic processes
    Psychiatry

Prof. Dr. Jos De Backer is professor and coordinator of the Bachelor and Master training in music therapy at LUCA and head of the music therapy department at the University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven.
He is an internationally recognized principal investigator (PI), widely known for his work on musical improvisation within a therapeutic context. His research mainly focuses on therapeutic processes with persons with psychiatric problems (psychosis, personality disorders, dementia) and persons with a mental disability and autism.
He works as a senior researcher at the research units Music & Drama LUCA (https://www.luca-arts.be/nl/research-unit-music-drama) and at the Center for Contextual Psychiatry, medical faculty KU Leuven (https: / /gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english/research/50000666/50000673/cpp/index.htm). In addition, he is a professor at the Chulalongkorn University of Bangkok (http://thefaachula.com/wp-content/uploads/2019 /12/Master-of-Arts-in-Music-Therapy.pdf).
He is also an invited lecturer in music therapy courses in more than 20 countries and presenter at national and international conferences.
Prof. De Backer was 9 years president of the European Music Therapy Confederation and is currently board member of the consortium of 8 universities for Research in Music Therapy (Bergen, Oxford, Philadelphia, Oslo, Leuven, Cambridge, Jyväskylä and Melbourne).
Prof. De Backer is editor of three books on clinical applications in music therapy such as The Music in Music Therapy; Clinical Applications of Music Therapy in Psychiatry; Clinical Applications of Music Therapy in Developmental Disability, Pediatrics and Neurology. He has published in various international peer-reviewed journals.

Events and projects by Dr. Jos De Backer