Jos De Backer is a Professor of music therapy at Leuven University College of Arts (LUCA), campus Lemmensinstituut, Belgium and is Head of the Masters training course in music therapy. He studied music education and music therapy in Belgium and Vienna and he completed his PhD in music therapy at the University of Aalborg, Denmark. He is Head of the Music Therapy Department in the University Psychiatric Centre KULeuven, campus Kortenberg where he works as a music therapist treating young psychotic patients and patients with personality disorder. De Backer specialises in clinical improvisation, is a member of the advisory Editorial Board for the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy and of the Editorial Panel of the British Journal of Music Therapy and is a past President of the European Music Therapy Confederation.