Telehealth Music Therapy Services in the United States With Older Adults: A Descriptive Study

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.

Music Therapy Pre-internship Education and Training: Support for a Methods-Based Approach

As music therapists, music is our primary realm of understanding and action and our distinctive way of joining with a client to help them attain optimal health and well-being. As such, we have adopted and advocate for a music-focused, methods-based (M-B) approach to music therapy pre-internship education and training. In an M-B approach, students’ learning is centered on the 4 music therapy methods of composing, improvising, re-creating, and listening to music and how these music experiences can be designed and implemented to address the health needs of the diverse clientele whom they will eventually encounter as practicing clinicians. Learning is highly experiential, with students authentically participating in each of the methods and reflecting on these self-experiences as a basis for their own clinical decision-making. This is differentiated from a population based (P-B) approach, wherein students’ attention is directed at acquiring knowledge about the non-musical problems of specific “clinical populations” and the “best practice” music interventions that are presumed to address these problems. Herein, we discuss both approaches, identifying the limitations of a P-B perspective and outlining the benefits of an M-B curriculum and its relevance to 21st-century music therapy practice.

Professional Identity Formation of Early Career Music Therapists

In this study, 15 early career music therapists were interviewed about their academic, clinical, personal, and early professional experiences to define the key characteristics of their professional identity formation. Subsequent analysis of these data revealed that for these music therapists, early career identity formation was characterized by 3 developmental tasks: (1) formulating a professional identity, (2) identifying and practicing a preferred working style, and (3) moving from a single approach to practice and drawing from a variety of theories and approaches. Furthermore, their early career identity formation was characterized by 4 sequential subphases: (1) openness to change, (2) experiencing complexity, (3) freeing up, and (4) increased confidence. Barriers to healthy identity formation were also discussed. Implications for education and training, along with the importance of facilitating mentorship opportunities for early career professionals, were proposed to connect the findings to academic and professional life.

Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Music Therapists’ Work with Speech-Language Pathologists

Adolescents on the autism spectrum may experience challenges with multiple domains of communication that impact their quality of life. Both music therapists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) implement activities to address these challenges. Empirical evidence suggests that incorporating music into treatment can be an effective way to improve communication. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for music therapists assisting adolescents on the autism spectrum to improve their communication skills and ways to collaborate with SLPs in doing so. In this paper, we discuss interprofessional collaborative models (e.g., interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary) and competencies (e.g., coordination, adaptability), as well as music-based clinical experiences that appeal to adolescents, and target improvement of communication skills for learners with complex communication needs.

Unhoused Persons: Perspectives on Perceived Benefits of Music Therapy

There is limited literature to support the use of music therapy with unhoused persons and more research is needed to deepen the understanding of music therapy with this population. This researcher aimed to gather information from music therapists who work with unhoused persons to gain more perspective on the perceived benefits of the music therapy treatment process. Three music therapists were interviewed; interviews were then transcribed and coded to find themes regarding perceived benefits of music therapy with unhoused persons. The four themes derived from the data were increased resilience factors, facilitating connections, creating a safe space, and increased expression. Findings support music therapy attending to many levels of human need for unhoused individuals. These findings can be used as recommendation for practice and program development for the use of music therapy with unhoused persons and also point to a need for more research to understand the benefits of specific music therapy techniques and treatment methods with unhoused persons and subgroups of the unhoused community.

Defining the Therapeutic Singing Voice: Further Examination of the Everyday Singing Practices of Music Therapists

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.

The Effect of Music Therapy on Perceived Parental Stress in Perinatal Care: An Exploratory Study

The perinatal experience contains many stressors that can impact parental mental health. We examined the integration of music therapy (MT), an evidence-based health profession, and its stress reduction role in parents during their inpatient maternity and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Stress Numeric Rating Scale (SNRS-11) were used to measure stress reduction in 34 maternity and NICU parents (17 maternity patients and 17 NICU parents). Participants included parents on the antepartum unit (expecting parents on bedrest), laboring parents, pre-operation parents before cesarean delivery, parents of full-term healthy infants on the postpartum unit, and parents of premature infants on the NICU. Results were calculated based upon number of sessions rather than total number of participants and indicated that after one MT session, a 50% reduction in the SNRS-11 was measured in NICU and antepartum parents. The PSS score demonstrated a more modest stress reduction in the NICU parents but failed to achieve a statistically significant decrease in the maternity group. Findings were in line with existing literature in MT-associated stress reduction levels and may be integrated as part of an ongoing continuity of care during pregnancy, delivery, and NICU hospitalization. Earlier screening for stress may benefit parents during their perinatal hospital stay. Further research exploring the benefits of MT, as part of continuum of care and stress management for the inpatient perinatal parent population, may encourage the inclusion of MT services and improve quality of care.

Music Therapy with Children Whose Mothers Are in Residential Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Program Evaluation

Children who experience multiple stressors may benefit from music therapy programming that addresses the development of social skills, self-expression, and coping mechanisms. Emerging evidence supports the use of improvisation techniques, group songwriting, and drumming activities to support self-regulation and increase social competence. In this article, we aimed to describe the inception and evaluate the implementation of a music therapy program for children at a residential treatment facility for women with substance use disorders (SUDs) at Dove’s Nest, a residential facility for women with SUDs. In this facility, children can reside with their mothers during the length of treatment. We collected pre/post data from children ages 5–11 (N = 20) who attended 8 nonconsecutive music therapy sessions by asking the mothers to complete the Home and Community Social Behavior Scale (HCSBS; Merrell, K. W., & Caldarella, P. (2008). Home & Community Social Behavior Scales user’s guide. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company). Statistical analyses showed no significant changes on individual HCSBS subscale pre–post comparisons. The total number of scale items on HCSBS flagged as areas of concern was reduced both in social competence (31 pre to 6 post or a decrease of 80.65%) and antisocial behavior (34 pre to 17 post or a decrease of 50%) scales. Evaluation results indicated that even though the children assessed may score within average ranges for social competence and antisocial behaviors, they still exhibit a high number of areas of concern at baseline, particularly in the defiant/disruptive category, which warrants preventive interventions. Clinicians may need to focus on interventions that promote social integration, self-regulation, and assertiveness while addressing behaviors such as blaming and attention seeking.