Can music therapy address aggression in teens? In “Empathy and Aggression in Group Music Therapy with teenagers: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study”, Dos Santos looks into how teens may use music as a way to be empathetic with one another. 

Risk factors for aggression include a lower socioeconomic status and exposure to community violence. Secure and stable living environments, family cohesion, positive parenting, healthy relationships with peers, self esteem, and strong values, help to protect against aggression risk factors. 

Music Therapy in US Corrections: Philosophy, Practice, and Protocols of Music Therapists Working with Incarcerated People in the US

Kayla Stubblefield, MT-BC

When you think of settings in which music therapists work, the first facility that comes to mind may be a school, a hospital, or a nursing home. Oftentimes, people are surprised when hearing that music therapy can benefit those in correctional facilities. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, having 1 out of 5 people incarcerated in the United States. Approximately 7 million people who are serving parole or probation are under oversight of the U.S. correctional system, with roughly 2.3 million people being held in various facilities such as juvenile detention prisons, jail, federal prisons, and immigration detention facilities. Poverty and race correlate to mass incarceration rates in the U.S., and Black Americans as well as other people of color are overrepresented (Sawyer & Wagner, 2020)…

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This study took place by the geriatric department in Lanspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland. Researchers found that a majority of people living with Alzheimer’s disease show many episodic behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, such as agitation and restlessness. This can lead to decreased wellbeing in patients, decreased quality of life, and an increase of heavy burden on the caregivers, (Scansdottir & Snaedal, 2006). These symptoms can determine the difference in one’s life as to where they live; at home, in a nursing facility, or an institution. 

Treatment to these symptoms are mostly pharmacological, which can include but are not limited to sedatives, neuroleptics, or antidepressants. This use of pharmacology may be inappropriate for the patient and their wellbeing due to side effects. 

This is my first blog about internships.  As the internship director for our company, this topic has been on my mind as of late because I am working to complete the necessary paperwork for Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC to become a National Roster Internship site for the American Music Therapy Association.  Knowing that good experiences and education can provide keys to success, this mixed methods study sounded interesting when I went to look for resources recently.

I will say that understanding how undergraduates view the internship process was not something I had thought about before.  Internships can vary in length depending on the facility or company hosting the internship.  Students completing their undergraduate or equivalency studies, are required to complete 1200 clinical hours in order to receive the privilege of taking the Certification Board of Music Therapy’s national examination.  Students will often complete between 150 – 180 clinical hours in their undergraduate program with fieldwork supervised by their professors, board certified graduate students or outside professionals.

“Tell me about yourself.” 

Have you been in an interview and been asked this question? Or heard it on a first date?

In college we rehearsed our answers to this in a business class. We perfected our answers to fit in the space of an elevator ride to best sell ourselves. What in your past has made you who you are? Your likes, your dislikes, your experiences? What would you name as the most important events that have formed your identity? How would you define your sense of self?

Music therapy is used in both inpatient and outpatient mental health settings to support patients in their recovery process.  Music therapists use a variety of interventions to achieve interdisciplinary goals outlined for each patient. A 2016 study conducted in Ireland examined six mental health patient’s experiences in music therapy and ways they felt participation in music therapy aided their recovery process.

When you take the time to go to therapy for a particular ailment or need rehabilitation, you expect it to work, right?  Doctors prescribe therapy for treatment, maybe to eliminate symptoms caused by an injury or illness. Finding a historical article that highlights the success of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) was revolutionary for me today.  Anytime you find proof that what you are doing is working, that brings a sense of relief and pride, does it not?

This article states that music can support clients therapeutically to combat their addiction as well as spark cravings for substances. “This article describes such a music therapy program tailored to clients with addiction problems, to tackle some of their major difficulties and specific impairments,” (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004). It is also worth noting that music is an extremely powerful tool, and is as helpful or harmful to someone’s recovery. “It touches feelings of longing, craving, pain, pleasure,…and shows their coping strategies, (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004). 

This article states that The Dutch Health Care Council reports addiction as an almost chronic illness of bio-psycho-social etiology. This theory combines one’s biology, psychology, and social processes as a multi-dimensional approach to recovery. “If we would use a one-dimensional treatment strategy, we would not be able to tackle their problems,” (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004). But how does music therapy fit into recovery and this bio-psycho-social model? 

“Music therapy uses musical experiences and the relationships that develop through them to enable communication and expression, thus attempting to address some of the core problems of people with ASD,” (Geretsegger, et. al, 2014). This study is an analysis of ten randomized control trials (RCTs) that compare music therapy to standard or ‘placebo’ therapy, and no treatment. 

Music therapy can look several different ways throughout a course of treatment, it can include improvisation, singing/vocalization, listening to live and recorded music, active music making and several other experiences. These interventions can directly support people with ASD to improve and develop communication (verbal and non-verbal), social skills/interactions, initiating behavior, social-emotional reciprocity, and adverse effects. This study states that secondary outcomes found improved social adaptation skills, quality of life in school and home environments, quality of family relationships, cognitive abilities, and no changes to hypersensitivity of sound. Results showed for all but two outcome categories under research, suggesting benefits of music therapy in comparison to other types of care.

Youth living within low-resource communities are at a greater risk for poorer socio-emotional development. A youth’s socio-emotional competence includes their ability to use one’s skills and knowledge for navigation within different environments, interactions with others, and adapting to expectations. Music therapy clinicians often serve children and youth who have experienced threats to their adaptation resulting from exposure to social, cultural, or economic stressors. Pasiali and Clark decided to examine the potential benefit a music therapy social skills development program may have on improving social skills and academic performance of school-aged children who have limited resources in afterschool programs.

Music therapy has an effect on many areas of one’s functioning. These areas include cognition, physicality, communication, social interaction, and emotional wellness. When someone experiences a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), these areas can be impacted greatly, and music therapy can be a method of support as well as rehabilitation. This article states that at the time, there was little research in the stroke and TBI realm, but there were other studies that assessed positive effects for other populations. This article quotes another study in 1992 by MacRae Statine, “Because music is laden with emotional associations and memories, it provides an effective medium for evoking emotional responses. This study specifically addresses “whether music therapy is effective as an aid to enhance a patient’s mood, social interaction, and involvement in therapy during acute rehabilitation”. 

Direct Care Staff (DCS) are the “front line” of care for many.  If someone is in a facility or even in a home, the DCS staff is there 24/7 taking care of a variety of needs.  Caregiving is hard work, but many in this field are dedicated to making sure the individuals they are taking care of receive the best of care.  As a therapist seeing clients and patients in a variety of settings, I often turn to the DCS to ask how the client is doing, especially if their expressive language is difficult to understand or the ability to communicate has been compromised.

Researchers Staab and Dvorak interviewed five DCS who work specifically with older adults who have intellectual disabilities.  The purpose of this study was to record and document their perception of the benefits of music therapy for their clients because these DCS participate in music therapy with their client.  Also, the facility where the DCS work acts as a fieldwork placement for music therapy students who attend a local university near the facility.  

In a pediatric rehabilitation setting, Leung (2008) collaborated with a Speech-Language Pathologist in the case of an 11-year-old male, Sam, who sustained severe injuries from a collision with a barbed wire fence while riding a four-wheel motorcycle. Due to the severity of Sam’s injuries, he was referred to Leung for improved verbal articulation and communication by the speech-language pathologist. Using a co-treatment collaboration model, the music therapist and speech-language pathologist used song singing and drum and vocal improvisation.