Francis Debrabandère

Music therapist and percussionist Francis Debrabandere began his therapeutic career as an occupational therapist with a focus on mental health. His passion for percussion led him to travel to Africa, where he decided to spend several years working in psychiatric hospitals in Zimbabwe. There, he discovered the impact of rhythm on the psycho-emotional state of hospitalised patients, and also had the opportunity to participate in two Afro-jazz projects.

This led to training in music therapy in Metz, where he quickly became a trainer in ‘rhythm and percussion’. His career as a music therapist led him to 20 years of experience in a psychiatric institution in Mons, where he participated in a multidisciplinary unit project focusing on the use of expressive media in therapeutic relationships, for which he was partly the coordinator (ETPM Chêne aux Haies)... and under the occasional supervision of J-P Klein, Dan Schurmans, he also worked with autistic children and children with attachment, behavioural and attention disorders (CPESM Ghlin), and for several years led and coordinated a pilot project for a music workshop for people with intellectual disabilities at the Soignies Music Academy.

Francis Debrabandere regularly collaborates with the art therapy association Red Pencil, working with unaccompanied migrant children. He is the founder of the non-profit organisation Nganga (www.nganga.be), which brings together therapists and musicians interested in developing ideas and practices around the benefits of rhythmic experience in the context of care and health... and with which he offers courses and workshops on rhythm (voice, percussion, dance in combination with other forms of expression).

He is a trainer in various art therapy courses (Rhapsodie-Bxl; Puzzle-Lille) and a professor of art therapy for nurses specialising in mental health (Helha Tournai). In addition to continuing his training in rhythmic and vocal techniques, he is also trained in Reiki, REI (rhythmic training intervention - Strong Institute) and the Grief Recovery Method (a method of supporting people through grief and loss). He regularly participates in musical and/or theatrical artistic projects as a percussionist and singer.