scholarly journals An Investigation of Music Therapists' Experiences of Verbal Dialogue in Music Therapy Sessions

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhán Nelligan ◽  
Tríona McCaffrey

This study presents a preliminary exploration of music therapists’ first-hand experiences of engaging in verbal dialogue with clients in their clinical practice. To the authors’ knowledge no previous studies have examined the role of verbal dialogue from the first-hand perspectives of experienced professionals working in the field.  Three individual interviews were conducted with three accredited Irish music therapists. Four central themes emerged as a result of thematic content analysis: content and function of verbal dialogue, the use of verbal dialogue may contribute to professional ambiguity, returning to the music, and the dyadic relationship between musical and verbal exchange. The findings revealed verbal dialogue to be a topic of interest for the participants in this study, one which stimulated meaningful reflections about clinical practice. The implications for professional identity and clinical practice which arose distinguished verbal dialogue as a potential area for further research and professional discourse within the wider music therapy community. Suggestions were made for additional areas of learning that may assist in preparing trainee and newly-qualified music therapists for potentially challenging verbal encounters with clients.

Author(s):  
Lindsey Wilhelm ◽  
Kyle Wilhelm

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many music therapists in the United States turned to telehealth music therapy sessions as a strategy to continue services with older adults. However, the nature and perception of telehealth music therapy services for this age group are unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe music therapy telehealth practices with older adults in the United States including information related to session implementation, strengths and challenges, and adaptations to clinical practice. Of the 110 participants in the United States who responded to the survey (25.2% response rate), 69 reported implementing telehealth music therapy services with older adults and responded to a 32-item survey. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. Results indicated that while all participants had provided telehealth music therapy for no more than 6 months, their experiences with telehealth varied. Based on participant responses, telehealth session structure, strengths, challenges, and implemented changes are presented. Overall, 48% of music therapists reported that they planned to continue telehealth music therapy with older adults once pandemic restrictions are lifted. Further study on the quality, suitability, and acceptability of telehealth services with older adults is recommended.


Author(s):  
Philippa Reid

Receiving a cancer diagnosis and undergoing the subsequent treatment challenges coping and equilibrium for children and adolescents and their families. This chapter describes how music therapists work with children, adolescents, and family members in cancer care contexts. A range of musical experiences can provide adjunct support to medical treatments to support coping, reduce distress, and provide comfort. The music therapist works as a member of the interdisciplinary team to provide opportunities fornormaland fun musical experiences to support the experience of hospitalization, as well as offering comfort and support for children in pain or distress. Research evidence supports the role of the music therapist in providing effective services with children and adolescents in cancer care.


Author(s):  
Martina C Bingham ◽  
Elizabeth K Schwartz ◽  
Anthony Meadows

Abstract Twelve music therapists were observed working clinically in 3 to 5 of their music therapy sessions and subsequently interviewed about their clinical work in order to further examine and define the essential characteristics of therapeutic singing in music therapy clinical practice. Observational and interview data were analyzed separately using procedures consistent with qualitative content analysis and then integrated to provide a comprehensive picture of these singing practices. Analysis of these data revealed 3 interrelated dimensions of therapeutic singing that were integrated into the larger realization of therapeutic singing: (1) foundational vocal skills, (2) vocal engagement, and (3) authenticity. Implications for the education and training of music therapy students, vocal health, and a reevaluation of the American Music Therapy Association’s competencies contextualize these findings for the profession as a whole.


Author(s):  
Chiyoko Inomata ◽  
Shin’ichi Nitta

In 2008, the authors’ team started an ongoing project to administer music therapy sessions for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Studies were made conducted from the “caring” perspective to evaluate the effects of music therapy on the mental health of the patients (Inomata, 2008a, Inomata 2008b) and on the role of nurses in integrative medicine (Inomata, 2008c). On the basis of the findings from these studies, music therapy programs were designed and conducted to meet the different needs of various neurodegenerative diseases. This project was the first ever reported music therapy initiative undertaken as a multi-disciplinary collaborative work and in partnership with a patients’ group (Saji, 2010). The findings from four years of running the project are summarized as follows: (1) Music therapy helped maintain/improve the QOL(Quality of Life) level of neurodegenerative disease patients, which would otherwise deteriorate with the progress of symptoms; (2) There was an improvement in the patients’ psychological and spiritual health as exemplified by the expansion of consciousness and rebuilding of relationships; (3) The project increased the feeling of partnership among the multi-disciplinary team members; (4) Care providers shared values such as self-belief and respect for both the self and others; (5) Caring for patients’ emotional side by being compassionate and staying with them and/or listening to them resulted in a stronger care provider-patient bond; (6) Nurses were engaged in the building a healing environment as “healers,” and the patients found more hope in everyday life.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ruth Elizabeth Armstrong

<p>The present research examines the effect of music therapy on the affect of hospitalised children. It took place on a paediatric ward of a New Zealand public hospital. This study aimed to investigate the role of music therapy in addressing patients' psychosocial needs. Literature on the impact of hospitalisation, and on the use of music therapy in hospitals and paediatrics was reviewed. The research involved an audit of the therapist's clinical notes from music therapy sessions over the course of seven months. The clinical notes included measurements of children's mood from the beginning and end of sessions, using McGrath's (1990) Affective Facial Scale. It was hypothesised that mood measures following music therapy would be higher than pre-music therapy scores. Statistical analysis of the facial scale data did not show a significant difference between 'before' and 'after' measures. These results were discussed with regard to a ceiling effect (this is, the measurements indicated patients were at the happy end of the scale before the music therapy session, so there was little room on the scale for mood to improve following music therapy). The measurement of emotion did not prove to be straightforward. The hospital environment may have influenced the patients' responses in a number of ways. These environmental influences are discussed with reference to examples from the clinical notes. The usefulness of facial scales in this context is discussed, as well as other limitations of the research. Suggestions for future research include the use of other mood measures, and the inclusion of measurements of parental mood and how this affects the child.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ruth Elizabeth Armstrong

<p>The present research examines the effect of music therapy on the affect of hospitalised children. It took place on a paediatric ward of a New Zealand public hospital. This study aimed to investigate the role of music therapy in addressing patients' psychosocial needs. Literature on the impact of hospitalisation, and on the use of music therapy in hospitals and paediatrics was reviewed. The research involved an audit of the therapist's clinical notes from music therapy sessions over the course of seven months. The clinical notes included measurements of children's mood from the beginning and end of sessions, using McGrath's (1990) Affective Facial Scale. It was hypothesised that mood measures following music therapy would be higher than pre-music therapy scores. Statistical analysis of the facial scale data did not show a significant difference between 'before' and 'after' measures. These results were discussed with regard to a ceiling effect (this is, the measurements indicated patients were at the happy end of the scale before the music therapy session, so there was little room on the scale for mood to improve following music therapy). The measurement of emotion did not prove to be straightforward. The hospital environment may have influenced the patients' responses in a number of ways. These environmental influences are discussed with reference to examples from the clinical notes. The usefulness of facial scales in this context is discussed, as well as other limitations of the research. Suggestions for future research include the use of other mood measures, and the inclusion of measurements of parental mood and how this affects the child.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Young Hwang ◽  
Hwa-Jin Lee

This study analyzed the meaning, distinctive features, and process of therapists’ perception of their clients’ experience related to healing in music therapy. Twenty Korean music therapists who work with a variety of clients were recruited to participate through purposive sampling. Corbin and Strauss’s (2008) grounded theory qualitative analysis method was used. Ten categories and nineteen subcategories were obtained. The central phenomenon was active participation in music therapy, which was influenced by client’s readiness. Clients’ experiences lead to healing through awareness of inner self, expression of emotions, and solving problems. These changes were related to the therapists’ interventions, professionalism and qualifications, and their use of music. It was concluded that the clients experienced four types of healing in their music therapy sessions: physical, emotional, social, and transformative.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Kevin Kirkland ◽  
Shannon Nesbitt

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.


Author(s):  
Joanne Loewy

Although there has been a fair amount of research and clinical practice related to neurological music therapy, speech production within a musical context and music psychotherapeutic voice work, we rarely find these practices intertwined. The following article provides history, rationale, definition of practice and theory that provides strong backing for the integration of the models and approaches currently available to music therapists.


Author(s):  
Marshall Yoes ◽  
Michael J Silverman

Abstract The existing literature indicates that motivation is an important predictor of treatment outcome for people with substance use disorders (SUD). Although researchers have found that music therapy can positively impact motivation for people with SUD, the music therapy and SUD literature base lack a theoretical understanding of motivation. Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation (ETM) is an established theoretical framework positing that motivation depends on three relationships: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. These relationships consist of four variables: effort, performance, reward, and preference. Based on these four variables, motivation depends on the expectation that an increase in effort will lead to improved performance, thus leading to a reward aligned with an individual’s preferences. The purpose of this paper is to apply Vroom’s ETM to music therapy and SUD clinical practice and research. We reviewed the existing literature addressing Vroom’s ETM within SUD treatment and created a model to depict how to apply Vroom’s ETM to music therapy clinical practice for people with SUD. Application of Vroom’s ETM may help music therapists understand and augment motivation for people with SUD, potentially leading to relapse prevention and recovery. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.


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