Music used for psychological counselling

Sandra Curtis, a professor at Concordia University’s Department of Creative Arts Therapies, uses music as a tool to engage in a deep psychological dialogue with people ranging from abused children to patients receiving palliative care; female survivors of domestic violence to people facing difficulties at work. “No matter the audience, music has the power to delve deeper than words by speaking to patients on the fundamental level of rhythm and sound,” says Curtis.

Although it hasn’t completely reached a clientele in the mainstream, Curtis has been associated with music therapy for more than three decades. She has trained in Georgia and Ohio, drawing inspiration from Raging Grannies and young children. Curtis views music as a rallying cry that connects those pursuing social justice through charting her own development as a professional music therapist.

Whom do music therapists work with?

People of all backgrounds, ages, and cultures can respond to music, and to music therapy. Notable groups music therapists have helped include:

§  Military service members and veterans. Music therapy helps you cope with trauma.

§  People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Individuals on the spectrum learn best when there is familiarity, structure, predictability, and consistency.

§  Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Music therapy may help with memory and stimulate your mind because of predictability, familiarity, and feelings of security.

§  People in correctional settings. If you’re incarcerated, in a mental health facility, halfway house, or group home, music therapy may help with problem-solving, communication skills, relaxation, and decreasing impulsivity.

§  Victims of trauma and crisis. If you’ve experienced trauma and crisis, you might have anxiety, stress, and pain. Music therapy can help you with decreasing those three experiences, improving your mood, feeling confident and in control, and providing a non-verbal outlet for emotions.

§  Those who are physically ill. The list includes, but is not limited to people with chronic pain, diabetes, cardiac conditions, cancer, headaches, recent surgery, and people in rehab.

§  Individuals with mental health disorders. If you’re dealing with a mental health disorder, music therapy can help you with communication and expression, help you explore your thoughts and feelings, improve your mood and concentration, and develop coping skills.

§  People with chronic pain. Music therapy can help decrease your pain, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.

§  Substance abusers. Music therapy may help if you have a substance abuse disorder. Research has shown that it can increase motivation and self-esteem, reduce muscle tension, decrease anxiety, improve self-awareness, and strengthen coping skills.

Music therapy for Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

When it comes to the therapy of children with autism, the ability to form cordial, solid relationships with others through music is particularly important. Relationship development with a child with autism may be hampered by the severity of symptoms that prevent normal emotional and social development. Researchers from GAMUT, Uni Research Health, and the University of Bergen have demonstrated in a study that generalized changes in social skills in children with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) are predicted by the strength of the therapeutic connection.

The results of this study, which involved 48 kids aged 4 to 7 who received improvisational music therapy over a period of 5 months, suggest that the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder show a significant reduction if a relationship was built in which the therapist was emotionally and musically attuned to the child’s expressions. The effectiveness of the therapy relationship related to improvements in language and communication abilities in particular.

Attunement as a mechanism of change

Early interactions between infants and their caregivers are where human attunement processes are most well documented. The ability of the carer to tune in and synchronize with the infant’s movements, rhythms, and affects has been theorized to influence attachment and the growth of social understanding. The infant feels emotionally experienced and understood throughout these tuned musical exchanges.

By creating music that is especially customised to the child’s sounds, movements, postures, and affect, therapists strive to transfer principles from early interaction processes while working with children with autism. According to Karin Mössler of Uni Research, this should permit instances of synchronisation and attunement. The study’s lead investigator is Mössler.

Children with childhood autism

For kids with low-functioning childhood autism, concentrating on musical and emotional attunement may be especially crucial because it may be particularly effective when working with sensory processing, affect regulation, or movement-related deviations in these kids, all of which can be severely impacted.

According to a subgroup analysis, children with childhood autism or a coexisting intellectual disability benefit from music therapy more than kids with another autism diagnosis. The study makes it clear that its findings do not prove that music therapy is superior to other therapies.

In this regard, extra attention should be paid to intervention tactics that promote connections through musical and emotional sensitivity. The use of the child’s repetitive or stereotypical motions and affective expressions as a resource and point of attunement, for example, can assist therapists and parents of children with ASC cope with the child’s symptom level.

What happens before music therapy?

Before the session, the music therapist will assess the patient’s needs and their strengths. They may discuss:

§  Emotional well-being.

§  Physical health.

§  Physiological responses.

§  Perceptual/motor skills.

§  Social functioning.

§  Communication abilities.

§  Cognitive (mental and intellectual) skills.

§  Musical background and skills.

§  Trauma history.

§  Trauma triggers.

The patient’s musical preferences and any musical experience they may have will also be discussed by the music therapist with the patient. Following that, they will collaborate with the patient to set goals and create effective music therapy experiences for the session.

In doing so, they’ll consider:

§  Music preferences and interests

§  Age and developmental level.

§  Physical abilities.

§  Cognitive abilities.

§  Trauma triggers.

What happens during music therapy?

During music therapy, the patient and the therapist will do one or more of the following:

§  Create music. The patient might compose music, write lyrics, or makeup music together

§  Sing music. Use the patient’s voice to share a piece of music.

§  Listen to music. Enjoy the sound and lyrics.

§  Move to music. It can be as simple as tapping the toes together or as complicated as a coordinated dance.

§  Discuss lyrics. Read or listen to the lyrics of a song and talk about their meaning.

§  Play an instrument. Use an instrument like a piano, guitar, drums, etc. to share music.

What should one expect after music therapy?

If the patient’s goals were achieved, the music therapist will assess the effectiveness of the music therapy session. It is possible to attend more than one session.