About Music Therapy
Music Therapy by Speciality
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What is Music Therapy?Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional (MT-BC)
What do music therapists do?Music therapists assess emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through musical responses; design music sessions for individuals and groups based on client needs using music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music; participate in interdisciplinary treatment planning, ongoing evaluation, and follow up.
("What is Music Therapy?", https://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/, 2018) How does Music Therapy help with medical or mental health needs?Music therapy is an efficacious and valid treatment for persons who have psychosocial, affective, cognitive, communicative, medical and rehabilitation needs. Research results and clinical experiences attest to the viability of music therapy even in those who are resistive to other treatment approaches. Music is a form of sensory stimulation that provokes responses due to the familiarity, predictability and feelings of security associated with it. Music therapy can use musical interaction as a means of communication and expression. (AMTA 2006, musictherapy.org) What happens behind the scenes?While the client is involved in a music therapy session, the Music Therapist is actively assessing and evaluating their physical, behavioral and emotional response, and adapting the activities and interventions in order to optimize the experience towards achieving the treatment goals. |
Overview of Music Therapy processStep 1. Informational Interview or Consultation Step 2. Intake Process Review therapy process & expectations, tech access, scheduling, informed consent, complete intake paperwork Step 3. Assessment Step 4. Goals & Treatment Plan Development Step 5. Engage in regular Music Therapy sessions Step 6. Ongoing Evaluation Step 7. Termination / Transition out of services Music Therapy sessions may include...
Who can benefit from music therapy?Children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease and other aging related conditions, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities, and acute and chronic pain, including mothers in labor. |
Selection from Forbes Health Website
https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/music-therapy/
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"What Is Music Therapy?
There are lots of fancy explanations for music therapy, but it essentially means we’re therapists who use music as our tool to tap into its effects on our physiology and our associations, memories and feelings,” says board-certified music therapist Carol L. Shultis, Ph.D., associate professor and director of music therapy at Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and co-author of The Clinical Training Guide for the Student Music Therapist. The first professional organization of music therapists, the National Association of Music Therapy, was established in 1950, not long after doctors in veterans hospitals had seen music therapy spark improvements in the physical and emotional health of soldiers recovering after World War I and World War II. The National Association of Music Therapy merged with the American Association for Music Therapy in 1998 to form the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). The AMTA defines music therapy as the evidence-based practice of using music-related interventions to achieve therapeutic goals[2]. Described in more detail, music therapy is an experiential form of therapy during which a person goes through assessment, treatment and evaluation by engaging in different types of music experiences, music therapist Kenneth E. Bruscia writes in his book Defining Music Therapy. These music experiences might include listening to music, writing music or playing instruments. People of all ages can benefit from music therapy and no musical training or talent is necessary, says Shultis. In fact, she adds, trained musicians sometimes have difficulty engaging freely in therapeutic music activities that might diverge from their training." |