Trauma-Informed Care in Music Therapy: Principles, Guidelines, and a Clinical Case Illustration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Heiderscheit ◽  
Kathleen M Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Complex Disorders ◽  
Traumatic Memories ◽  
Trauma Informed Care ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Trauma Informed

Abstract The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 9.5 million Americans aged 18 and older have been diagnosed with more than one mental disorder. Music therapists working in mental health treatment settings are likely to work with individuals who have a complex diagnosis defined here as 2 or more of the following: depression, eating disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, and severe mental illness. Additionally, adverse childhood events or posttraumatic stress disorder often complicate the clinical profile. Given this, a trauma-informed approach to music therapy treatment is necessary to improve outcomes and minimize harm. The risks, contraindications, and ethical considerations necessary to effectively treat and care for these clients in music therapy will be reviewed. Methods of identifying, assessing, and treating these complex clinical issues in music therapy are discussed with the goal of helping clinicians understand: (1) where treatment needs to begin to ensure therapeutic goals addressing primary issues prior to addressing secondary issues and (2) the appropriate use of music therapy methods. The necessity for music therapists to understand the power of the music in the music therapy process is explored, to ensure that clinicians are meeting client needs, not triggering symptomatology, traumatic memories, or experiences. The importance of a clinician knowing their scope of practice, when they are adequately trained and prepared to work with clients with complex disorders, and how to utilize support such as consultation and supervision to support their effective treatment with client(s) is presented.

Working alongside people with intellectual disabilities who have had difficult experiences: Reflections on trauma-informed care within a service context

2021 ◽  
pp. 174462952098771
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Goad
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Trauma Informed Care ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Conference Presentations ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Whole Systems

People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences than those in the general population. Additionally, the conceptualization of ‘trauma’ is far broader than traditionally understood in order to encompass the far reaching relational nature of people with intellectual disabilities traumatic experiences. This reflective account details the first steps one service took to embrace trauma-informed care as a whole systems approach. The paper is a response to calls following conference presentations about our work, to share the process of the beginning of this journey, it also aims to provide key learning points, practical considerations and questions for reflection in order to support other services to begin their own relationships with trauma-informed care.

scholarly journals Adaptation of Music Therapists’ Practice to the Outset of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Going Virtual: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5138
Author(s):  
Lucia Kantorova ◽  
Jiří Kantor ◽  
Barbora Hořejší ◽  
Avi Gilboa ◽  
Zuzana Svobodova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Residential Home ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Online Music ◽  
The Hours ◽  
Online Therapies

Background: In the midst of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, music therapists previously not involved in telehealth had to develop effective remote forms of music therapy. The objective of this review was to systematically explore how music therapists previously working in-person adapted to the transfer to remote forms of therapy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. Methods: We searched Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, Medline, ProQuest Central, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PsyARTICLES, grey literature (to October 2020), and websites of professional organizations. We followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Results: Out of the 194 screened texts, we included ten very heterogeneous articles with an overall very low quality. Most texts described remote therapy in the form of synchronous video calls using the Internet, one paper described a concert in a patio of a residential home. We report the authors’ experience with the adaptation and activities, challenges and benefits of remote forms of therapy, recommendations of organizations, and examples and tips for online therapies. Conclusions: Music therapists have adapted the musical instruments, the hours, the technology used, the therapeutic goals, the way they prepared their clients for sessions, and other aspects. They needed to be more flexible, consult with colleagues more often, and mind the client-therapist relationship’s boundaries. It seems, when taken as a necessary short-term measure, online music therapy works sufficiently well. The majority of papers stated that benefits outweighed the challenges, although many benefits were directly linked with the pandemic context.

scholarly journals The Sound of Lost Homes – Introducing the COVER Model – Theoretical Framework and Practical Insight into Music Therapy With Refugees and Asylum Seekers

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Mallon ◽  
Monika Hoog Antink
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Difficult Situation ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

Due to the difficult situation of refugees, working with this group is challenging. Yet, music therapy is a suitable method for early therapeutic intervention. The authors introduce the context-sensitive classification model for music therapeutic interventions with refugees—COVER model— which is based on practical music therapeutic experiences using a trauma-informed approach with refugees in Germany. The COVER model can serve as a guideline for music therapists who work with refugees in insecure circumstances. The COVER model applies music therapeutic interventions to the natural living environment of refugees and allows for early interventions which may be a crucial benefit to the psychological health of refugees and music therapists working in this area.

scholarly journals The Therapeutic Value of Recording in Music Therapy for Adult Clients in a Concurrent Disorders Inpatient Treatment Facility

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Kevin Kirkland ◽  
Shannon Nesbitt
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Musical Composition ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Concurrent Disorders ◽  
Music Therapist ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Therapeutic Value ◽  
Fertile Ground

While recording has traditionally been viewed as a practical, adjunctive role of the music therapist, here the authors examine the skillful use of recording devices and software as fertile ground for the development of therapeutic programs with tangible benefits for adult cli­ents in a concurrent disorders recovery setting. The integration and layering of musical composition with musical performance, digital technologies, and production, invite rich and engaging conversations about therapeutic goals, processes, and outcomes. Using methods of action research inquiry, the authors discuss how their interactions with clients through recording have yielded new insights into therapist roles and identities as well as expressions of music therapy. The case for therapy-oriented recording is outlined and a description of the authors’ research setting and data collection methods identified before a literature review on the use of recording in music therapy is provided. The authors then distinguish four types of therapeutic recording illustrated by case examples from work with clients. Their writing culminates with a discussion of challenges and benefits associated with therapeutic recording. The authors conclude that recording offers critical and rewarding yet often unrecognized opportunities for music therapists to be innovators in their field.

scholarly journals Music Therapy Interventions for Stress Reduction in Adults With Mild Intellectual Disabilities: Perspectives From Clinical Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina de Witte ◽  
Esther Lindelauf ◽  
Xavier Moonen ◽  
Geert-Jan Stams ◽  
Susan van Hooren
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Therapy Goals ◽  
Therapy Interventions

Stress is increasingly being recognized as one of the main factors that is negatively affecting our health, and therefore there is a need to regulate daily stress and prevent long-term stress. This need seems particularly important for adults with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) who have been shown to have more difficulties coping with stress than adults without intellectual disabilities. Hence, the development of music therapy interventions for stress reduction, particularly within populations where needs may be greater, is becoming increasingly important. In order to gain more insight into the practice-based knowledge on how music therapists lower stress levels of their patients with MID during music therapy sessions, we conducted focus group interviews with music therapists working with adults with MID (N = 13) from different countries and clinical institutions in Europe. Results provide an overview of the most-used interventions for stress reduction within and outside of music. Data-analysis resulted in the further specification of therapeutic goals, intervention techniques, the use of musical instruments, and related therapeutic change factors. The main findings indicate that music therapists used little to no receptive (e.g., music listening) interventions for stress reduction, but preferred to use active interventions, which were mainly based on musical improvisation. Results show that three therapy goals for stress relief could be distinguished. The goal of “synchronizing” can be seen as a sub goal because it often precedes working on the other two goals of “tension release” or “direct relaxation,” which can also be seen as two ways of reaching stress reduction in adults with MID through music therapy interventions. Furthermore, the tempo and the dynamics of the music are considered as the most important musical components to reduce stress in adults with MID. Practical implications for stress-reducing music therapy interventions for adults with MID are discussed as well as recommendations for future research.

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