Private individuals

What are the objectives of a music therapy session?

In terms of what goals and objectives look like, they completely depend on the person we are working with but are usually contained under one or more of the following categories; speech and language, cognitive functioning, fine/gross motor skills, sensory integration, communication skills, social skills, emotional regulation/expression. The crux of music therapy is that it achieves non-musical goals through musical means!

Who is it intended for?

Music therapy is applicable across the lifespan and across a multi-disciplinary spectrum.

You do not need to be a musician to benefit from music therapy

this page provides you with information on who can benefit from music therapy services from the perspective of the wider public. If you or a loved one has a condition or challenge that is not listed here, feel free to send us an inquiry and we will be happy to help in any way that we can.

Special needs

We work with people with all varieties of special needs including (but not limited to);

-Autism

-Down Syndrome

-intellectual disabilities

-Global developmental delays

-Retts syndrome

-Williams Syndrome

etc

For more information specifically on music therapy and Autism follow the link below.

Click here

Mental Health

We work with all varieties of mental health challenges including (but not limited to):

-Generalized anxiety disorder

-Major depressive disorder

-Schizophrenia

-Bipolar disorder

-Bereavements

-End of life care

For more information on music therapy and mental health follow the link below

Click here

Specialist services

We also provide specialist neurologic music therapy services targeting (but not limited to):
-Stroke recovery

-Traumatic brain injuries

-Neurological disorders such as Parkinsons disease, Cereberal Palsy, Motor Neuron disease, etc
-Chronic pain disorders

For more information on neurologic music therapy specialist services follow the link below

Click here

Our intervention process

At Munster Music Therapy we believe that professional, personalized processes in music therapy are the key to achieving results. The following are 5 steps that we go through in developing personalized interventions.

01.

General Forms

pre-session

10 week blocks

- Our therapeutic intervention begins with referral and consent forms that inform and allow us to design the sessions in a specific way according to the needs of each person.
- We work in blocks of 10 sessions as we consider it necessary to be able to analyse the results and have a more precise follow-up in our therapeutic programme.

-We will also request supporting documentation (reports from other healthcare professionals such as IEP's, psychology reports, SLT reports, OT reports, etc).

02.

In the first

2 - 3 sessions

we conduct and assessment FOR therapy in order to set goals and objectives in conjunction with the information filled in the referral form.

- The first part of the therapeutic process is based on defining the concrete objectives to be worked on and establishing a link with the person.

- For us it is very important to establish an understanding of the person we are working with in order to develop an appropriate intervention based on scientific evidence.

-if consent and contact details have been provided, we may contact other healthcare professionals working with our service user during this time to build up a clearer picture of their strengths and needs of the person and potentially co-ordinate our goals and objectives with the wider multi-disciplinary team (including teachers, psychologists, SLT's, O.T.'s, etc).

03.

2 -3

Goals and objectives

(each goal in turn has 2/3 specific, measurable, objectives).

- We define 2-3 broad goals per block, each with 2-3 specific objectives. These are based on S.M.A.R.T. targets (significant, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) in order to maximize accountability and achieve observable healthcare outcomes for our service users.

- We measure and record the changes week to week in order to be able to analyse and report the progress of our therapeutic intervention.

04.

After each 10 week block, an assessment OF therapy is conducted

This culminates in a report outlining the goals and objectives worked on, what we achieved and recommendations for going forward

- At the end of the block, an assessment OF therapy is conducted which culminates in a report provided to you outlining the goals and objectives we worked on, what we achieved and recommendations for going forward.

-This assessment OF therapy is primarily based on the specific objectives designed in sessions 1-3. We use a mixture of qualitative and quantitative assessment strategies based on observations made in sessions and clinical notes.

-These will depend on the specific programme designed for the person working with but an example of a child with a diagnosis of Autism may look like:

Qualitative examples (based on clinical observations)

-Goal 1 - emotional expression

-Objective 1a - express worries and anxieties in an appropriate context

-assessment - collaboratively composed a short (fill-in-the-blanks) song verse based on a challenge faced during the week with reference to a particular emotion

-Objective 1b - identify and express different emotions

-assessment - matched musical improvisations to appropriate emotions/played musical improvisations with emotional expression (e.g. sadness based in a minor key or happiness in a major key)

Quantitative examples (based on numbers and figures)

-Goal 2 - improve concentration and ability to focus

-Objective 2a - concentrate on a single musical activity for 7 minutes without interruption

-assessment - objective completed in x/10 sessions/what was the max time where concentration was held on a single activity

-Objective 2b - follow the set of instructions/movements presented in the song "walking through the jungle" correctly

-assessment - objective completed in x/10 sessions

-Objective 2c - repeat a call and response drumming activity

-assessment - objective completed in x/10 sessions

-We recommend sharing this evaluation report with other professionals working in the multidisciplinary team (e.g. teachers, SLT's, OT's, psychologists, GP's etc).

05.

Recommendations

If progress has been made another block of therapy sessions with updated goals and objectives can often be recommended.

- Music therapy is a resource people can benefit from throughout the course of their lives. Whilst there are cases where one intervention block can help the person reach their full potential, depending on the specific needs of the person more sessions can often be required.

-If progress has been made and we feel that we can achieve even more, we will often recommend another block of sessions working on similar but updated goals and objectives.

-If we have made some progress but feel that the person needs time to integrate the changes achieved in any given block, we may recommend a break for a period of time.

-If we believe that we have reached the limits of what we can achieve in music therapy we will end the intervention process here.

Examples of how music therapy can help:

Children and adolescents with special needs such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD):

Music therapy can improve communication, social skills and self-regulation among others.

Individuals with anxiety disorders and depression:

Music therapy can reduce anxiety levels, improve mood and provide an avenue for emotional expression.

Chronic pain patients:

Music can help reduce pain perception and improve quality of life.

Dementia or Alzheimer's patients: Music can stimulate memory, improve mood and reduce agitation.

People with physical disabilities:

It can improve motor coordination, self-esteem and provide an avenue for expression.

Children and adolescents with developmental disorders:

Can help improve motor, social and communication skills.

People in addiction rehabilitation: Music therapy can be a tool to manage stress, anxiety and emotions associated with recovery.

Pregnant and postpartum women:

Music therapy can help reduce stress, anxiety and promote general well-being and mother-child bonding

Contact

Cahirmore, Lower Kilmoney Road,

Carrigaline, Co. Cork, P43C992

086 340 54 34

admin@munstermusictherapy.com

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