Eleanor Richards

Eleanor Richards


MA, BMus, ARCM, SRAsT(M)

Senior Lecturer, Music Therapy


Room: Hel 073

Email: eleanor.richards@anglia.ac.uk

Telephone: 0845 196 2370
International: +44 363271 ext 2370



Eleanor Richards studied music at the Universities of London and Nottingham. Before training as a music therapist she lectured in music history at the Royal College of Music and at London University, and worked in arts administration. She is now a senior music therapist in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, where she works with adults with learning disabilities and mental illness.

Eleanor works in private practice as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and supervisor. She is registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, and is a member of the John Bowlby Centre, London. She has published widely and presented papers at various international conferences.


Research interests:

  • applications of attachment theory
  • relational models of psychoanalysis to music therapy
  • the contribution of group analytic theory to group music therapy practice


Selected Publications

Odell-Miller, H and Richards, E (2009) Supervision of music therapy: a theoretical and practical handbook. London: Routledge.

Richards, E. (2007) 'What bit of my head is talking now?: music therapy with people with learning disabilities and mental illness' in , T. Watson, (ed.) Music therapy with adults with learning disabilities. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Richards, E and Davies. A. (2002) Music therapy and group work, London: Jessica Kingsley.

Richards, E. (1999) 'A response to Esme Towse' British Journal of Music Therapy 15, 1.

Richards, E., and Davies, A. (1997) 'Music therapy in acute psychiatry; our experience of working as co-therapists in a group for patients from two neighbouring wards' British Journal of Music Therapy 13, 2, 53-59.

Conference Presentations, Keynote Addresses and Consultancy

Richards, E: (2011) 'What happens after this quiet bit? I may have to leave now. The risks of empathy' John Bowlby Memorial Conference, Institute of Child Health, London, March 2011

Richards, E (2010) 'What does it take? Issues in the training of music therapists' International Music Therapy Conference, Andhra University, Vizakhpatnam, India, December 2010

Richards, E (2007) Canadian Music Therapy Congress (Victoria, BC), Co-presented paper; facilitated workshop

Richards, E (2007) European Music Therapy Congress (Netherlands), Co-presenting paper (August 2007)



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