Julia Pervolaraki

Julia is a Music Therapist and PhD Researcher at ARU's Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, specialising in dementia care, geriatric, and neurological rehabilitation. She has clinical experience across Greece, Austria, and Germany in dementia, palliative and psychosomatic care, as well as neurological rehabilitation settings.

Her doctoral research explores rhythm-focused music therapy for sleep quality in Alzheimer’s disease, with particular attention to culturally embedded approaches and complex intervention development in psychogeriatric care.

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Background

Julia completed her MSc in Music Therapy at IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria. Her Master’s research examined patient autonomy at the end of life from a music therapy perspective, reflecting an early interest in the ethical and existential dimensions of care. She has also undertaken specialist training in Neurologic Music Therapy, further informing her interest in rhythmic entrainment, temporality, and neurologically informed approaches to clinical practice.

Julia additionally holds a BA in European Studies from Hellenic Open University, which underpins her interdisciplinary engagement with the cultural and social dimensions of health, illness, and care, including perspectives drawn from medical anthropology.

She is currently undertaking her PhD at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, where she investigates how rhythm-focused music therapy may support sleep and daily temporal regulation in Alzheimer’s disease. Her doctoral work draws on chronobiology, medical anthropology, person-centred music therapy, and culturally embedded models of care to inform the development of complex interventions for psychogeriatric settings.

Alongside her doctoral research, Julia continues practicing as a music therapist with people living with dementia in psychogeriatric care settings.

Spoken Languages

• Greek
• German

Research interests

• Music and music therapy in dementia and geriatric care
• Rhythm and temporality in music therapy
• Music therapy in neurorehabilitation
• Biocultural and medical anthropological approaches to music therapy
• Narrative approaches to health, illness, and care
• Palliative and end-of-life care

Qualifications

• MSc in Music Therapy, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria
• BA in European Studies, Hellenic Open University, Greece
• Training in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT), University of Toronto, Canada
• Diploma in Piano Performance and Counterpoint, “Proodeftiko Conservatory”, Crete, Greece

Memberships, editorial boards

Member, Deutsche Musiktherapeutische Gesellschaft (DMtG)