Clinical Decision-making in Music Therapy: Case Studies

There are marvelous case studies in the music therapy literature that paint a beautiful, complex picture of the client’s therapeutic process in music therapy. Clinical Decision-making in Music Therapy, however, offers cases that are not just about the client and their therapeutic process, but specifically about the music therapist’s clinical choices and why they made them in relation to the needs of the client. This book contains 53 cases from music therapy clinicians from around the world including work with diverse clientele from across the lifespan in a wide variety of settings.

Each case includes a discussion of the music therapist’s clinical choices, their reflection on the case, and a description of their context in relation to their clinical work. Cases are arranged according to the method-variation used, with additional sections that focus on a transition from one method-variation to another.

Students will find these cases useful for exploring and understanding clinical decision-making for working with clientele with unique strengths and needs. Professionals may find the cases useful for expanding their ways of thinking and acting within their clinical work, and deepening their awareness of how they respond to the emergent needs of clients.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

PART I: COMPOSITIONAL METHOD-VARIATION CASES

Chapter 2: Songwriting with a preteen in neurological rehabilitation, by Annie Heiderscheit

Chapter 3: Songwriting with a child with Autism Syndrome, by Allison M. Fuller

Chapter 4: Song transformation with adults with acquired traumatic brain injuries, by Hermi Viljoen

Chapter 5: Composing a rap with an adolescent with an emotional impairment, by Angel Leung

Chapter 6: Songwriting with a group of Syrian refugee children in a multi-disciplinary creative arts therapy program in Turkey, by Danny D. Kora

Chapter 7: Songwriting with transgender youth struggling with chemical dependency, by Emma Moonier

Chapter 8: Song transformation with adolescents in Eating Disorder treatment, by Hailey Ward

PART II: CASES THAT TRANSITION FROM A COMPOSITIONAL METHOD-VARIATION

Chapter 9: Songwriting transitioning to referential instrumental improvisation with an adult in outpatient oncology, by Stephanie Morris

Chapter 10: Song collage transitioning to song discussion with dually diagnosed men, by Nancy Jackson

Chapter 11: Transitioning between song collage and instrumental improvisation with an adolescent in a special education setting, by Davina Vencatasamy

Chapter 12: Music composition transitioning to music-assisted relaxation and imagery with an adult with Sickle Cell Disease and chronic pain, by Samuel N. Rodgers-Melnick

Chapter 13: Songwriting transitioning to song discussion with a transgender adolescent in mental health day treatment, by Kendri Ebert

Chapter 14: Playlist creation transitioning to improvisation and songwriting with a man with mood disturbance, by Nsamu Moonga

PART III: RE-CREATIVE METHOD-VARIATION CASES

Chapter 15: Singing with a group of adults diagnosed with Schizophrenia, by Özgür Salur

Chapter 16: Re-creative music for developing an inclusive band in an adult disability day service facility, by Juyoung Lee

Chapter 17: Group re-creative singing with adults in a forensic psychiatric hospital, by Kimberly Lloyd

Chapter 18: Re-creative music therapy utilizing assistive technology with an adult with Cerebral Palsy, by Jason Noone

Chapter 19: Re-creative music therapy with a patient in hospice, by Larisa McHugh

Chapter 20: Re-creative singing and instrumental playing with a client recovering from a stroke, by Sisi Lin

Chapter 21: Re-creative therapeutic lessons with an adolescent in mental health treatment, by Nancy Jackson

PART IV: CASES THAT TRANSITION FROM A RE-CREATIVE METHOD-VARIATION

Chapter 22: Song re-creation transitioning to song discussion with a community women’s group, by Joy Willenbrink-Conte

Chapter 23: Re-creative transitioning to improvisational music-making with a mother and her autistic child, by Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz

Chapter 24: Vocal re-creation transitioning to receptive music experiences with an adult with primary progressive aphasia via telehealth, by Becky Wellman

Chapter 25: Transitioning between vocal re-creation and improvisation with a woman diagnosed with complex PTSD, by Aksana Kavaliova-Moussi

Chapter 26: Vocal re-creation transitioning to receptive experiences to expand speech prosody, by Brea Murakami

Chapter 27: Technology-based re-creation transitioning to improvisation with an adolescent girl with Rett Syndrome, by Marijke Groothuis

Chapter 28: Transitioning between re-creative and receptive music therapy methods to support an adult undergoing stem cell transplant, by Lucy Forrest

PART V: RECEPTIVE METHOD-VARIATIONS

Chapter 29: Song reminiscence with a hospice patient and her daughter, by Emily Borkholder

Chapter 30: Music and imagery for emotion regulation to address work-related stress and unresolved trauma, by Hyun Ju Chong

Chapter 31: Receptive music therapy during procedural support for an infant and parents in the NICU, by Karinné Andonian

Chapter 32: Culturally-specific receptive music for a Chinese patient and her adult son in palliative care, by Jingwen Zhang

Chapter 33: Music listening with a hospitalized patient suffering from migraines, by Kimberly Spitz Donley

Chapter 34: Receptive lullaby and song-of-kin with a hospitalized infant and their parents, by Elizabeth Klinger

PART VI: CASES THAT TRANSITION FROM A RECEPTIVE METHOD-VARIATION

Chapter 35: Music and projective drawing transitioning to referential improvisation with an adult chronic mental health group, by Nancy Jackson

Chapter 36: Receptive music therapy transitioning to improvisation with a child with Autism, by Baishali Banerjee Mukherjee

Chapter 37: Receptive music transitioning to improvisation with a healthcare worker receiving a lung transplant post-COVID-19, by Laura McFee

Chapter 38: Music-centered relaxation transitioning to songwriting in a music therapy staff support group for survivor advocates, by Nadine Cadesky

Chapter 39: Group guided imagery and singing transitioning into songwriting in a short-term psychiatric hospital, by Karen de Kock

Chapter 40: Song communication transitioning to song transformation with a mother in the NICU, by Elisabeth Bombell

Chapter 41: Receptive music and movement transitioning to improvisation for affect integration with a child with severe trauma, by Unni Tanum Johns

PART VII: IMPROVISATIONAL METHOD-VARIATION CASES

Chapter 42: Group improvisation with adults in Eating Disorder treatment, by Annie Heiderscheit

Chapter 43: Improvisational music therapy with an adolescent in a therapeutic day school, by Lindsay Rossmiller

Chapter 44: Improvisation with a child to address medical trauma, by Taylor Baloga Loufek

Chapter 45: Improvised songs with a teenage girl with complex trauma, by Hsin I Cindy Lai

Chapter 46: Improvisation with an adolescent refugee receiving treatment for severe burns, by Mireya P. González

Chapter 47: Vocal improvisation with a young girl with multiple and severe disabilities, by Elide Scarlata

Chapter 48: Improvisation with parents and their baby in the NICU, by Elisabeth Bombell

PART VIII: CASES THAT TRANSITION FROM AN IMPROVISATIONAL METHOD-VARIATION

Chapter 49: Improvisation transitioning to receptive music relaxation in a family setting, by Kathryn Eberle Cotter

Chapter 50: Improvisation transitioning to songwriting with a man with PTSD, by Bill Ahessy

Chapter 51: Non-referential improvisation transitioning to re-creative songwriting with a teenage student, by Regina R. Cesarz

Chapter 52: Improvisation transitioning to receptive music experiences with individuals with trauma and anxiety, by Molly Griest

Chapter 53: Non-referential improvisation transitioning to songwriting with a child in foster care, by Annie Heiderscheit

Chapter 54: Improvisation transitioning to songwriting in couples music psychotherapy, by Emma Moonier