Evangelia Papanikolaou, PhD, FAMI, EAMI Accred., is a music therapist and arts-based wellbeing expert, supervisor, mentor, and researcher with extensive international training and clinical experience. She completed her MA in Music Therapy at Roehampton University in the UK (2001), followed by a degree in Clinical Neurosciences and Immunology (2003). She earned her PhD in Music Therapy from Aalborg University in Denmark (2020), supported by an academic scholarship. In 2006, she completed her training in the receptive method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) across the UK and Denmark, and later became an accredited trainer in GIM, Music Imagery, and Music Breathing—an approach particularly suited for anxiety, stress-related conditions, trauma, and self-care.

She has worked in London and Athens in a wide range of clinical contexts, including mental health, psychological trauma, acute and rehabilitative psychiatry, developmental disorders, speech disorders, and perinatal care. In recent years, her work has focused on psycho-oncology, closely linked to her research interests. She brings extensive expertise in trauma-informed practice and in receptive music therapy methods that support resilience, emotional regulation, and wellbeing.

She is the founder and  scientific director of the non-profit SONORA—Organization for Music Therapy & Research. She also serves as a lecturer at the Medical School of the University of Athens (Msc in Pain Management). In addition, she contributes as a reviewer for academic journals and has authored book chapters and scientific publications. Through her work with SONORA, she has significant experience in developing programs and tools for community and corporate settings, as well as in wellbeing and self-care initiatives, project management, advocacy, and the coordination of European and other grant-funded projects.

Since 2008, she has trained mental health professionals and supervised music therapists and GIM/MB practitioners in at least 25 countries, whereas since 2016 she also collaborates with ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands (MA in Music therapy). Evangelia is the inaugural Chairperson of the Greek Association of Professional Music Therapists and former Country Representative for Greece at the European Music Therapy Confederation. She has been a member of the Educational Committee and currently a Board Member of the European Association for Music and Imagery. 

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