Jeanette Kennelly

The role of music therapy in paediatric rehabilitation

Meeting the needs of the child in rehabilitation requires an interdisciplinary approach, whereby a variety of health care professionals are called upon to work together in planning and coordinating each patients programme. The Registered music therapist is one of the allied health professionals who plays an integral role in this team approach. Music therapy is a recognized allied health profession, which is becoming acknowledged in the expanding world of health care as a therapy able to meet the expansive needs of the patient in rehabilitation. This article will present a literature review which advocates the role of music therapy in rehabilitation, with particular focus on the needs of the paediatric patient. Case vignettes will be used as further evidence to support the role of music therapy in this context, together with considerations for future research.

Music therapy in paediatric rehabilitation: The application of modified grounded theory to identify categories of techniques used by a music therapist.

A modification of the Grounded Theory method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) was used to identify and categorise the techniques employed by a music therapist in work with three children who have neurological and/or spinal injury in the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service at the Royal Childrens Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Through viewing videotapes of nine individual sessions with three patients and undertaking detailed transcription and analysis of five of these sessions, eight categories of techniques used by the paediatric music therapist were identified. These are: cueing, synchrony, choices, orientation, preparation, feedback, incorporation and humour. Outcomes of this project offer clarification of techniques used by a music therapist working with children in a rehabilitation service.

Effects of professional music therapy supervision on clinical outcomes and therapist competency: a systematic review involving narrative synthesis

Supervision for music therapists is often regarded as useful for professional development, and for processing clinical and non-clinical issues, which arise from practice. However, little is known about the research evidence, which informs this practice and its links to improved professional competency and clinical outcomes. A narrative synthesis was conducted to map the types of supervision literature, identify corresponding research evidence and examine effective models of music therapy supervision. Relevant databases were searched and the authors identified a considerable body of literature relating to professional supervision (n = 48), with only five, mostly qualitative, research studies identified. Review results show that supervision is useful for assisting a therapist’s professional and personal insight into clinical practice although the effects of the intervention remain unknown. Two core interactive ingredients constitute professional supervision: (1) flexible and creative approaches towards practice and learning, including the use of music as a supervision tool; (2) a supervisory relationship, which is fundamental to the process. These ingredients are shaped by three underlying concepts: (1) shared experience between supervisor and supervisee; (2) improved insights; and (3) qualities of an effective supervisory relationship. Results revealed an overall lack of evaluation studies and an over-reliance on qualitative design. The discipline would now benefit from research that measures the effects of professional supervision on patient outcomes and professional competencies.

Critical Junctures in Narrative Research: Collaborative Reflections on Methodological Issues

The co-creation of narratives can be a complex and intricate process where findings are shaped and molded by the interactions between researcher and study participants. From the moment the researcher enters the field of inquiry through to the writings of each story, and often beyond the final storytelling, there are poignant moments or junctures that the researcher may face in relation to methodology and ethical practice. The authors present three narratives about their experience of conducting narrative research within the field of music therapy. Each author tells her story in relation to the methodological and ethical challenges and considerations encountered. Looking both within and across these three stories, the authors highlight five critical junctures that may arise during the research process. Common strategies for negotiating these challenges are identified to assist narrative researchers in any discipline who may be experiencing their own pivotal junctures.