Jennifer Buchanan's Blog, page 5

Music Therapy and Me – when we were young

Over these first few weeks of the #JBMT30 on social media (30 posts to JB Music Therapy‘s 30th Anniversary), we will visit the early 90s  – which had some carryovers from the late 80s pop culture-wise, the Cold War had just ended. Internet was in its infancy, PCs were becoming more affordable which resulted in a higher percentage of households – but the majority of my friends would not have one for a few more years.

Imagine a young 21 years old who just finished the music therapy program at Capilano University (then College), who thrived when at practicum but struggled when sitting in class trying to absorb all the layers of information you needed to know to forge your journey to becoming a certified music therapist (MTA).  Where would I work? Where would I live? What would I do next?

The internship.

Gaile was my internship supervisor and the primary reason I migrated to Calgary from the West Coast after I completed my education at Capilano.  She had been a mature student and had only practiced for a few years when I met her.  It was her life experience that drew me to learn from her.

Until I met Gaile, I had yet to witness anyone who worked in private practice, and immediately I found it suited me.

Gaile Hayes, Music Therapy Supervisor

Several years later Gaile would be diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer – a shock for the non-smoker.  She was given a short time to live.  As I started my practice I became very absorbed in my own work and my relationship with Gaile had fallen away.

During her last few months of life, I nervously called her.  I could hear the smile in her voice as she invited me over.   As I rubbed cream in her thin, dry arms we shared stories of some of our favourite clients and discussed the music she wanted at her celebration of life.

She never told me I would be okay, and I never told her she would be okay.  We both knew it was what it was – and okay didn’t quite fit the moment.  I think of her often and the drum she made is sitting in front of my desk as I type this.

The first day of JB Music Therapy

Also known as the second Friday of September in 1991!

At the end of my internship, I returned back to my hometown of Langley, BC, but I couldn’t get Calgary, and more importantly the clients I had met, out of my heart.  I knew I would return there, but I didn’t know I would do that turnaround within a couple of weeks.  I was broke, with a crushing student loan at a hefty 12% interest if I recall correctly.

On my second day back in the city where I would begin my new career, I would visit the local library. That doesn’t sound too revolutionary, but you must understand there were no search engines. The library and the books within it were your primary resource.

A woman with silver hair and a warm smile approached me at the circulation desk. I said something along the lines of, “I just graduated with my music therapy degree and am not sure where to start.” She asked me the most critical question any business owner needs to answer: “Who are you hoping to work with?”  I began to list all the people I looked forward to serving and, with that, she smiled again and said five magic words, “Yes, I can help you.”

Hearing the words “Yes, I can help you” when I felt my most vulnerable and unsure was so comforting. Today, I pay particular attention to those who say those five simple words, make direct eye contact and then follow through.

I contacted the first name in the book and was able to solidify my first contract. I started a part-time job at a clothing store in Market Mall with one of my favourite bosses of all time. It was a great start.  After 8 months I was working more than full time and began to think about a team.  Next week you will learn more about that.

These beginning moments were a time where I learned to value supervision, good information, and leaders in my life. It was also a time when I made decisions based on gut – many times this worked but occasionally it didn’t. That is when surrounding yourself with people who would hold out a hand and help you up so you can get going again.

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Music on the Frontlines

As the world becomes more complex, society continues to seek new ways to feel more connected and feel well. In so many ways the frontline music therapist provides the opportunity to build that bridge.

At the simplest level music brings more meaning into moments. And, at a more complex level music impacts brain function and human behavior reducing stress, pain, and symptoms of depression as well as improving mood, memory, and motivation.

The success of music therapy, at its essence, is about the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist.

Some say it’s the journey. Others the destination. We suggest it is relationships you keep along the way.

Better relationships with patients lead to better outcomes.

A good relationship, the research finds, is essential to helping the client connect with, remain in, and get the most from therapy. “It’s primary in the sense of being the horse that comes before the carriage, with the carriage being the interventions,” says Simon Fraser University emeritus professor Adam O. Horvath, PhD

This #MusicOnTheFrontlines series will share the benefits that are achieved when these positive and productive relationships are formed between the Music Therapist and client  – some in 30 seconds, others over a series of weeks and months.

Music therapy touches all aspects of our health and wellness.

Many music therapists are in staff and management positions, others are community-based providing mobile and online therapy services.

Music therapy is incorporated into treatment for cancer and has been used to recoup linguistic ability in stroke victims. It has been used to treat patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and general memory problems. It has also been used for pain management, stress reduction, developmental delays, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even to improve the health of premature infants.

We know that as frontline healthcare workers one of our roles is to contribute to effective health systems.  “Frontline health workers most often work in the community that they come from and play a critical role in providing a local context for proven health solutions” – Health Workers Coalition

So how does Music Therapy work?

Each session is designed with a number of factors in mind, including the clients’ physical health, communication abilities, cognitive skills, emotional well-being, and interests. After an initial assessment and after the mutually agreed goals are established, the therapist will embark on either the creative or receptive process – and in both cases no previous music experience is necessary.

“In the creative process, the music therapist works with the client to actively create or produce the music. This may include composing a song, engaging in music or song improvisation, or drumming. In the receptive process, the therapist offers music listening experiences, such as using music to facilitate a client or group’s relaxation. Clients or groups may then discuss thoughts, feelings, or ideas elicited by that music.” – Dr. Annie Heidersheit

How music therapy helped calm a patient.

One patient comes to mind when considering how music helped de-escalate and support a highly agitated patient. While working in a neuro-rehabilitation unit, a severely troubled man who spent most of his adult life living on the street came in with a gaping head wound and concussion. The medical team was struggling to help him remain calm. He was adamant that he wanted to leave the hospital.  The Music Therapist was tasked with helping him relax and reassure him that if he remained in the hospital long enough he would give his injury a better opportunity to heal.

As the therapist entered his room for the first time with her guitar on her back he barely looked up as he gave an audible ‘hmph.’ She asked if she could sit across from him and he replied with another ‘hmph.’ In the moment she took that to mean yes. As she moved towards the chair she was simultaneously scanning the room for any identifiers that would give a hint of where to start. What song would establish the fastest relationship so they could move into the discussion of how he is feeling. She was in the middle of making the assumption that he was a Bob Dylan or Eagles sort of guy when he softly mentioned how he appreciated classical music. Sometimes even the most seasoned music therapists don’t guess right.

As the therapist strummed the beginnings of Pachelbel’s Canon he closed his eyes and laid his head back. His breathing slowed, and she slowed the music to match. When the song came to a close, he opened his eyes, sat up taller in his chair, and said a gentle ‘thank you.’ It felt like a good start.

During that first visit and over the next several weeks they spoke about how he was feeling and why he wanted to leave. Eventually, he would sing with the Music Therapist and compose songs that highlighted many significant moments in his life. Using creative and receptive processes in conjunction with his treatments with his highly specialized medical team,  his wound healed and he was eventually discharged.  He was never completely happy to be in the hospital but he did say the music therapy sessions gave him something to look forward to.

Music can be a communication bridge, one that can help you express and process your greatest life challenges, stressful transitions, and at times, an unexpected health crisis. When words are not enough, music can start the conversation.

The #MusicOnTheFrontlines series will continue to feature many stories from our 30 years on the frontlines of music therapy. Together we will explore the different destinations (positive outcomes), journeys (processes), and the company (our clients)  we have kept along the way.

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Examples of Correspondence during COVID-19

Hi All,

Like you, at the core of everything we do is for the care of our clients.  Here is some of the correspondence I have shared with my staff and our clients during this unique time.

Please note the most recent correspondences are at the top and I will keep this updated in this way over the next little while.  As you also know things are moving quickly.   Lots of new information every day.  The written, as well as verbal communication, between us and our clients has been important –  but I also know that too frequent can add to the feelings of overwhelm.

As I write this we have just learned that all schools have closed – that is 10% of our revenue.  I am already updating our meeting for tomorrow and planning our next steps.  Stay tuned

SUNDAY MARCH 15 – TO STAFF

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are finding a few moments this weekend to rest and spend time with those you love. I am looking forward to connecting with you tomorrow either online or in-person.  We will make the circle a bit wider Please see the previous email for how to join in online.

Here is our current agenda for tomorrow.

a) Opening Statement – Understanding our current environment – knowing that just like my fractured elbow it will get worse and then it will get better and we are #bettertogether

I love this article and I highly suggest you read this prior to our meeting.

b) Check-In – How are you?

c) Review our mid-month ‘Music Speaks’ e-news that will launch our new service – Online Music Therapy as previously discussed. I will review the procedures for this new service.

d) Here is a sample of our next email to current clients (it will be sent in addition to a mid-month newsletter.  I am open to revisions or additions.

We are thinking of you! We are always inspired by our clients but we are equally inspired by the staff we have the honour to serve beside.  We are here WITH you. Thank you for all you are doing to keep this community healthy and happy.

We Care! Our client’s health and safety are our primary concerns. For now, we are “business as usual” at JB Music Therapy but are taking all the extra precautions as identified by AHS.  This includes us sanitizing instruments between clients and working hard to manage any risk of infection.  We have a small but mighty team ready to help where they can and creatively work together to provide care.  Our sessions will remain very small.

We’re In This Together! If you visit us at our office, please use hand-sanitizer immediately upon arrival. Please respect the fact we support immunocompromised people. Do not visit our site if you are unwell, have recently travelled outside of Canada, or if you have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

We Know Things are Changing!  We are paying close attention to the changes and will respond to your changing needs as well.  Let’s continue to communicate and work together.

We Have a Plan! As things evolve, we know there is a possibility our music therapy services and group programs may have to be suspended or modified. If that happens, we are implementing online music therapy services. We are only a call/email away.

We Need Your Support More Than Ever! Calgary is an amazing city that has an incredible spirit of togetherness in times of hardship and crisis – social isolation is NOT in our nature.  We are hoping we can work together to ensure other options are available to those in need of a boost of morale and a decrease in stress.  We feel our services can help with this effectively and efficiently.

Thank you for helping us continue to be a source of comfort and care during this time.

e) Supporting other Health Entrepreneurs.  I will be sharing how I am communicating with you, clients and staff with other Music Therapists and other Health Entrepreneur’s so people have some additional support.

f) Check-In Two – how are you feeling now?

g) My Promise:  to continue communicating frequently as things are rapidly changing.

See you tomorrow,

Jennifer

 

SATURDAY MARCH 14 – SMS – TO STAFF

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 TO STAFF

I just wanted to follow up on the email I sent earlier to our clients and that was cc’d to you. The letter we sent was well received and our professionalism has been noted by several clients.

As you are aware, because you listen to the news too, things keep escalating.   So far Canada has fared quite well but there may be shifts soon and I assume we are going to feel its impact. We will continue to take it one step at a time and will discuss further on Monday as we have the last two Mondays.

My hope is that we will continue seeing our clients, for many reasons but now also to heighten morale as best as we can.  It may get to the place where we need gloves and gowns and to not use any of our instruments etc…..we again will discuss this on Monday.  Regardless we will remain vigilant.

I hope you are not feeling nervous for your own health.  Make sure you continue to look after yourself.  If any of us do get sick we will kick it….and to do that we will do all the things we need to do to nurse a flu and we will text one another get well emojis.

I know a few of you are planning trips to other countries.  This seems to be the biggest concern for our clients.  All therapists traveling out of the country will need to self-quarantine for 14 days. I feel so badly it is coming to this.

I am working on our online MT page as we speak and am thinking about a few more ideas.  I welcome any you may have.  I want us to help one another so no one suffers badly – but to think we are not all going to be affected in some way is probably not realistic. However, I do know that I am going to do whatever it takes to mitigate as many problems as I can – I will, however, need everyone’s help.

For now, keep washing your instruments and hands.  Don’t feel you need to get too close to your clients. Do what you need to do to keep yourselves healthy.

We will discuss more on Monday and for those who are not in attendance you will receive follow up emails.  If you have any immediate questions please do not hesitate to connect with me directly.

In appreciation,

Jennifer

TUESDAY MARCH 10 – TO CLIENTS

To Our Wonderful Clients!

Your health and well-being are our primary concern and JB Music Therapy is very careful to ensure we provide a safe service to all our clients.

Given that some of our clients may be immune-compromised we work hard to ensure that all instruments are sanitized and that our hands are washed and/or use hand sanitizer regularly.

Be assured that with the recent news regarding the coronavirus and other flu outbreaks, all of us at JB Music Therapy have worked to heighten this attention.

Dr. Laura McDougall, Senior Medical Officer of Health has advised that while the risk remains low, they are working daily with Alberta Health Services who are monitoring the situation along with the Federal Government and international colleagues. While the risk remains low in Alberta, we are paying very close attention to taking their advice with respect to best practices.

For now, the direction we are taking is to use the same practices recommended for protecting against all respiratory illnesses.

We are referring to the Respiratory Etiquette Guide and the Government of Canada website:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page14511.aspx

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

Please be assured that we will continue to pay careful attention to this issue and contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely;

Your JB Music Therapy Team

 

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Can Music Therapy Support Social Change?

Social change is a concept many of us do not truly understand. What we know for sure is that change is inevitable and change is always happening.

What is Social Change?

Sociologists define social change as changes in human interactions and relationships that transform cultural and social institutions. These changes occur over time and often have profound and long-term consequences for society.

Can organizations/associations have a role in social change?

It seems all groups can have a collective power that can potentially influence social change.

As therapists who serve persons of diverse ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area music therapy associations and organizations like JB Music Therapy have a responsibility to hear the bigger needs and desired outcomes and do what we can to support and certainly not dissuade.

Organizations that care about the direction of social change can help shape it and foster the kind of “change we wish to see in the world.  To do that, we need to see and be the change we want in ourselves. Challenges in our lives and paying attention to other people’s challenges can often teach us how to deal with obstacles while revealing alternative paths. It is about our world view and being who we want to be as individual practitioners and as a collective group. Pick our path. Craft our character. Make our mark in life by being the change you know our world needs.

Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World by Alnoor Ebrahim describes how having a clear strategy can help leaders of social change organizations assess their achievements and boost their impact.

While businesses measure success with standard metrics like profits and market value, such measurements don’t fit most social change groups, Ebrahim said.

“Depending on what you care about, whether it’s health care or education or poverty alleviation or climate change, what’s relevant to measure will differ,” he said. “But what every organization needs is clarity about its strategy, which can then provide a roadmap to its most important metrics.”

So is there a #caseformusictherapy to pay attention to its role in social change?

In a contribution to The Canadian Association for Music Therapists publication Ensemble – fellow JBMT music therapist Jesse Dollimont suggests, “public health services which extend beyond the individual have the potential to be more successful at creating and sustaining positive results or change long-term.”

She goes on to say that this is achieved by the creation of networks, which are significant for the promotion of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of individuals and families – and are characterized by interaction and reciprocal responsibility (Mancini, Bowen & Martin, 2005).

Dollimont suggests that the work we do most naturally as music therapists can always be developed or explored in more depth by consistently asking ourselves the following questions:

Am I supporting my clients in creating or exploring further possibilities for participation? If not – how can I do so? Am I consistently adjusting tempo, duration, and frequency to match that of my client(s)?Am I offering up ways to include people who support my clients so they might experience these possibilities and learn to facilitate them as well?

Opportunities to affect social change occur every day, as we work with our clients and help them increase their engagement in their communities, creating concepts and experiences of community rooted in participation, agency, and identity. Our ability to further effect change lies ahead as we work with our clients to respond to changes happening around us, improvising new ways of embodying health and practicing community.

Although change is inevitable the strategy to best steer positive change is certainly possible within the music therapy community.  Please follow us as we continue to address a #caseformusictherapy and how it holds up.

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The Second Ingredient to Finding your Bliss – HEALTH

The #blisspointseries is for entrepreneurs looking to grow or find greater ease in their practice and small business. It is about taking the necessary steps to identify the perfect blend of values and their attached strategies. It is about helping you solve the inevitable problems and challenges more efficiently and effectively. It is about ensuring you never feel trapped or paralyzed again, able to take the next steps that will strengthen your company. 

In our last blog post, we looked at the first necessary ingredient to finding our blisspoint – HEART. The heart of your company expresses your purpose and how it drives you through the dark and difficult times. The second ingredient to finding your blisspoint is HEALTH. 

Health can mean many things. In this blog series it includes the following: 

the health and well-being of the health entrepreneur – the health practitioner who owns and manages their own business (check out the blog – who is a health entrepreneur? – and Wellness Incorporated dedicates an entire chapter to securing your own health);the retention and well-being of clients;the retention and well-being of staff; the well-being of the environment and the community in which we operate;our company’s resilience and sustainability;our current and future financial position.

Out of the three blisspoint elements – heart, health, and mastery – this is definitely the ingredient I place the majority of my emotional and physical energy – not because I am doing well but because it is the most unnatural of the three ingredients for me and so requires more work, supports, learning, and resources. My personal health and my financial health are often secondary to my passion, dream, and expertise. Therefore if I am to find my blisspoint and succeed I always need to give more attention to my health.

There are many things we can do to improve our health:

Meet with a financial planner/analyst/expert (pro tip: you should feel inspired and open to making changes when you leave their office);Hire a business coach, personal trainer, nutritionist, spiritual support;Get more of the right friends and invest time in them;Hug your partner or dog for a really long time;Listen to your staff – what do they need to feel healthy so they can continue doing the good work they love to do.

I grew up with a single mom who at one time worked three jobs while making me feel cared for each and every day. I don’t know how she did it all.  I look back on those days, that I am sure were difficult for her with extreme admiration. What my mom has taught me is how important it is to remain healthy (physically and financially) so you can be present for those you love. Yes, she worked hard but she had a way to also put her attention to ensuring we had a home, food, school supplies and could attend every one of my band concerts. These things and actions made me feel cared for and connected.

The health entrepreneur who is in pursuit of their blisspoint will look at their company’s entire health –  the potential harm of their choices along with the positive contributions they make. In my lifetime, I have struggled in all areas of my health at some point or other – personal health, financial health and the cultural health of our team.  I believe we must remain vigilant in all areas of our health.  Like my mom, the working hard comes naturally for me – but that doesn’t mean I am always working the smartest. At times I may not be delegating enough nor circling myself with the right people and tools.  With the right supports and resources, I know I can continue to improve my knowledge and skills in this area a bit every day.  I believe we all can.

Next blog post in the #blisspointseries I will look at the last ingredient to help mitigate your challenges – achieving MASTERY. 

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A Love Letter to the Organizations We Serve

As Valentine’s Day approaches my team often explores the theme of love with their clients.  A difficult topic for some who feel thrown away by society, and sometimes their family and friends.  Two such young men reside in a group home we have served for well over a decade.  They have no family and their community life has been greatly reduced to their agency’s confines due to financial constraints.  Both men are in their early 40’s and are living with PTSD and chronic sadness.

As the music therapy session progresses we used music to evoke memories and meaningful discussion.  The session came to a close and a soft voice spoke,  “….thanks for making this week a bit better.”

Music is not a cure-all for love lost, or missed, but it can help a little.

However, music therapists are just a small piece of the healthcare pie – the caregivers, parents, professionals, and agencies we witness each week give love and service in many different and amazing ways.  You may feel the same way in your business – recognizing all the people and organizations that are involved in making the larger eco-system around you move and succeed.

This week our team has asked their clients how they feel they can make someone’s day.  Here are their suggestions:

call someone you are angry with and apologizesend a valentines card to your friendshug your momask someone who sits alone in the cafeteria if you can sit with them because you don’t like eating alonesmile more often at others in the hallput your answer here________________________

May I suggest that if you LOVE the agency you donate to, volunteer in or are just grateful to have in your community, to give them a voice call or send a short email or note and say – THANK YOU.

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The First Ingredient to Finding your Bliss – HEART

Well, we are finally ready to dive into the necessary 3 ingredients in the #blisspointseries. The first ingredient may be no surprise – it is HEART.

The heart of your work is the heart of your business—your purpose. It makes your business deeply personal, meaningful, and unique; it drives you through the dark and difficult times. It is what your clients ultimately buy in to.

We always seem to rail against the heart when we need to make our next decision. My hunch is that your purpose resonates deeply with your company’s core values, and probably goes a step further, aligning with your personal values too.

When we provide a service or product in a manner that makes our customers feel deeply connected to our brand, be it by giving them an opportunity to understand the impact of their purchase or by ensuring every service we provide is focused on their needs, that connection becomes very difficult to break. In a purpose-driven business, we strive to ensure these connections are formed, strengthened, and authenticated. Our business needs to be completely aligned with our purpose, and our purpose needs to fully express this value—our heart.

My company provides a large and growing variety of services in the healthcare and education fields. Each segment uses different terminology and has different needs. For example, one group may focus on music therapy’s ability to rehabilitate speech after a stroke, while another looks at how it can boost mood from depression. Our purpose is to bring personalized music therapy to every person we serve, regardless of their age or ability. One way we express our heart is in our service specialization. Personalization can be very expensive; however, because of this model, our customers keep coming back. The service makes them feel good.

The late Warren Bennis, a pioneer in leadership studies, said that “at the heart of every great group is a shared dream.” As the owner, there are times when I need to reconnect with my purpose so I can continue to share it. The fastest way for me to connect with our company’s heart has been to get back to the front lines. When I step into the field and watch our team work, there is no denying the reason for why we do what we do. Taking this time to transport myself into the purpose of my business gives me a tremendous amount of clarity and helps me make better decisions and solve problems with greater ease. It fuels me with the energy and spirit I need when leading our company into the next stage of its journey.

The most important consideration to ensure your HEART continues to beat so all can hear it is:

Stand behind what you believe.

In order for employees to embrace the company values, they must see them in action – from me, the owner. I must reflect our mission in everything we do — from sales to marketing to team meetings to the implementation of our services.  This is not always easy.

By building up people’s strengths and maintaining good relationships through our work, our mission takes a lot of emotional energy.  In order for me to stand behind what I believe I must also ensure the second ingredient ‘health’ is well in order.

We will discuss this more next month.

Tell me, what’s at the heart if you’re business?  Send me an email:

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Is Music Therapy Reliable?

RELIABLE

adjective

consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted.

All services, including therapy, are judged on the skills, quality and outcomes of the service/provider.

For this blog post, I take the #caseformusictherapy on a journey through the lens of where most service-based choices are made – safety, outcomes and customer satisfaction experience.

Safety

After a quick Google search on whether music therapy is deemed safe, I found Healthlink BC who makes the following statement: Music therapy is considered safe.

The Cleveland Clinic expands on this statement by making a list of what music can do:

Affect the body by changing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure, body temperature, and respiration (breathing) rate.Help improve quality of life, lessen feelings of isolation, and provide an increased sense of control.Call up repressed (bottled up) emotions that may now be released.Open the door spiritually and allow patients and families the opportunity to explore their own spiritual beliefs.Physically stimulate conscious or unconscious body movements, such as toe-tapping or large body movements, and improved gait (walking) and speech.Bring people together socially, not just at large gatherings such as parties, weddings, or funerals, but in more informal, intimate shared experiences.

Much of the safety when using music in therapy, therefore, rests on the practitioner. It is the responsibility of the therapist to ensure their patient feels safe to move forward through the therapeutic process.  Whatever paradigms a therapist might use, safety is the necessary foundation for all subsequent work. The music therapy profession ensures that all education, training, certification, and regulation uphold these standards.

Outcomes 

Here are a few links to learn more about some of what people are experiencing when they engage in music therapy:

Easing anxiety and discomfort during procedures. In controlled clinical trials of people having colonoscopies, cardiac angiography, or knee surgery, those who listened to music before their procedure had less anxiety and less need for sedatives.

Helping with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Music therapy has been used in rehabilitation to stimulate brain functions involved in movement, cognition, speech, emotions, and sensory perceptions.

Aiding pain relief. Music therapy has been tested in a variety of patients, ranging from those with intense short-term pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression in pain patients, and gives them a sense of better control over their pain in approximately 50% of the patients.

Improving the quality of life for people living with dementia. Because the ability to engage with music remains intact late into the disease process, music therapy can help to reduce the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) – especially over time.

More Outcomes: Effectiveness of music therapy: a summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of music interventions – summarize the evidence for the effectiveness of music therapy and to assess the quality of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials. This comprehensive summary shows that music therapy improves the following: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson’s disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. Music therapy may have the potential for improving other diseases, but there is not enough evidence at present. It is important to note that no specific adverse effect or harmful phenomenon occurred in any of the studies, and MT was well tolerated by almost all patients.

For added interest there is recent evidence using hyper scanning that demonstrates how the therapist and client’s brain works in sync during music therapy.

Like many human services more research is required, and always be needed.  Music therapists, other professionals and academics are ensuring evidence is constantly being sought.

Client Satisfaction with Music Therapy

Once a year our community-based music therapy organization requests feedback from our clients to determine their satisfaction.  The results are  mostly favourable with areas for improvement.  Our goal is always to a improve.

The development and validation of the Music Therapy Practice Scale (MTPS) – a quantitative 15-item scale for self-assessing music therapy practice is another tool that has been developed. Preliminary evidence supports the use of MTPS for understanding and self-assessing the practice of music therapy students and post-graduate music therapists. The scale could also be applied to further research investigating the correlation between music therapy practice and other constructs, such as self-esteem and self-efficacy. 

In conclusion to assure reliability the music therapist’s role is to ensure that music is used under the highest of ethical standards and with the largest body of knowledge. Music, a powerful resource, can do great things but it can also cause harm by bringing up lost or undesired memories. It can strike tones that hurt your ears and can take individuals into a place of agitation. The music therapist monitors each individual response carefully and acts accordingly.

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Why Professionals are Necessary in Healthcare? Including Professional Music Therapists

The longer I work in healthcare, the more I understand why we need professionals to serve those in an active state of recovery and healing.  And my hunch is if you have been a patient in any healthcare system, for any period of time, you will understand this too. 

As we address the #caseformusictherapy it is time to look at the importance of professionals in healthcare – including professional music therapists. 

Like all therapy, the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client/patient is the single most contributing factor to the individual reaching their goals. More specifically, research shows that the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of successful therapy.  Establishing such a relationship requires training and experience.

I meet individuals for the first time when they are looking for help, support, or strengthening. Establishing trust within the opening moments of the first session is critical if I am to move forward and thoroughly learn a person’s story, dreams, personality, and motivators, and then ultimately help them reach their goals.

It is humbling to witness someone break free from the limitations and barriers imposed on them by their past or current circumstance and move towards greater wellness and healing. I consider our clients brave and am honoured to play a role in the next stage of their journey. For those reasons and more, the relationship I establish with the people who come to see me in therapy is at the heart of my work…beyond even the music.

American psychologist Carl Rogers defines a ‘helping relationship’ as “a relationship in which at least one of the parties has the intent of promoting the growth, development, maturity, improved functioning and improved coping with life of the other.” 

For me to reach professional status, my training and education needed to take me to a certain level of competency to be an effective therapist. The American Psychological Association identifies effective therapists as:

having a sophisticated set of interpersonal skills, including: verbal fluency interpersonal perception affective modulation and expressiveness warmth and acceptance empathy focus on other able to form a working alliance with a broad range of clients. providing an acceptable and adaptive explanation for the client’s distress. providing a treatment plan that is consistent with the explanation provided to the client. influential, persuasive, and convincing. continually monitoring client progress authentically. flexible and will adjust therapy if resistance to the treatment is apparent or the client is not making adequate progress. not avoiding difficult material in therapy and uses such difficulties therapeutically. communicate hope and optimism. aware of the client’s characteristics and context. aware of his or her psychological process and does not inject his or her material into the therapy process unless such actions are deliberate and therapeutic. aware of the best research evidence related to the particular client, in terms of treatment, problems, social context, and so forth. seeking to improve continually.

This is what all therapists want to be – music therapists too.  In addition to this list, music therapists also have additional music-based skills and interventions.  However, there are some areas I feel music therapists could (and should) improve.

I feel there is also growth needed in the following areas throughout all stages of education and training: critical thinking, interpersonal and counselling skills, and business skills. When I graduated almost 30 years ago, these areas were not stressed enough.  I became aware of my ‘professional lackings’ quite soon after I started my practice. It was up to me to fill the many gaps.  I want to say these things have changed, but unfortunately, low confidence in these areas is still exhibited with the many new therapists I coach. 

But music therapists are not alone in having areas to improve.  That is the motto for any true professional who desires to make a significant impact….especially through effective therapeutic relationships. The success of your patients will always be the indicator of the effectiveness of your professionalism.

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Ingredients for a Blissful Business

Wellness Incorporated was designed to bring an ease to entrepreneurs as they build, manage and lead their health business. Ease – the word that would often strike me during some of my most challenging decisions.  I have always loved my work but there have been many times I have wished the work was easier.  

As we learned in the first blog post of this series – blisspoint is a term used in the food industry to blend 3 key elements (fat, sugar and salt) into a perfect recipe that pleases its taster. When I consider the word ‘bliss’ I also interpret it as central to accessing optimum wellness.

This got me thinking – what would happen if we could find the perfect ingredients for business that would increase the entrepreneur’s craving for their own company? Even during the difficult times.  A recipe that would bring an ease about our work, while also ensuring our company’s sustainability.

A couple years back I read about Jed Emerson’s concept of “blended value” – a way to assess the health of a company. Whether for-profit or non-profit, Emerson suggested entrepreneurs pay attention to three areas: the company’s economic returns along with its’ social and environmental impact.  By paying attention to all three areas he suggested a more successful and impactful company.

Taking this into consideration I thought about what I, as the owner/operator needed – what 3 ingredients, when blended together, would help me reach my desired state of making a significant difference, and leaving a legacy ahead. 

I began to look at the core elements of a health service business, essentially everything companies must consider and often include in their business plan (ie. a well defined mission and client attraction and retention plan). I then added in necessary considerations for the health of the owner, including self-care measures and creating a positive work environment for all involved (wellness starts at the top and must permeate throughout the organization). I topped it off with looking at the requirements for creating a sustainable business that will impact the community positively, bringing a cycle of joy back to the owner to ensure the work continues for many more years.  

I grouped all these needs/requirements/elements under 3 categories.  The 3 ingredients I feel are necessary to find your business blisspoint: 

Heart, Health, and Mastery.

Heart comes by many names – vision, passion, purpose, drive…..the ‘what’ or ‘who’ you are fighting for…the reason you do what you do even when you feel challenged or tired. A strong heart helps guide the health entrepreneur to their next step.

Health is literally the health of YOU and your company – not only the financial well-being but the emotional wellness of you and your team. Strong health ensures longevity of the health entrepreneur and of their good work.

Mastery is how good you are at what you do.  It is ultimately the quality of the service your customers receive. Well-developed mastery ensures best service, quality work, and ultimately changed lives.

Together these elements bring the entrepreneur feelings of purpose, vibrancy and achievement – feelings you can’t help but want more of.

Each individual ingredient is important. If you are missing even one of them, or it is in a weakened state you and your business will not thrive.  All three must be finely tuned and regularly strengthened if you hope to achieve bliss.

Over the next several blogs we will dig into each of them, how to measure their success, and how to ensure they are working efficiently together.

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