Just A Song Sunday: Further Refining the Thought Process

www.musictherapyworks.comI awoke this morning thinking about what I wanted to write about today. That in itself is not an unusual occurrence - I tend to think about this blog when I am trying to deny the fact that I am awake and ready to start the day. I knew that I wanted to continue the discussion that I started with you and with myself last week (see the Just a Song Sunday label to the left for more of these posts), specifically the difference between intervention plans and therapy.

I have always been interested in what my Occupational Therapist mother calls "therapeutic use of self." Apparently this is something that OTs study, and I think it is something that music therapy students (and ALL therapy students) should study as well. I'm not sure that we offer this type of discussion in a formal way (at least, they didn't when I was in school...any of the times I was in school).

Ann Cronin Mosey states that conscious use of self is: "the use of oneself in such a way that one becomes an effective tool in the evaluation and intervention process" (Mosey, 1986, p. 199). It "involves a planned interaction with another person in order to alleviate fear or anxiety, provide reassurance, obtain necessary information, provide information, give advice, and assist the other individual to gain more appreciation of, more expression of, and more functional use of his or her latent inner resources." (Source: Mosey, A. (1986). Psychosocial components of occupational therapy. New Psychosocial components of occupational therapy. New York: Raven Press.) For me, this means that I not only provide music, but I provide my full attention, thought processes, and engagement to both the client in front of me and the musical product we create together. To that end, I have to focus on more than just a song.

My assertion and way of thinking when it comes to these Sunday posts is that I, in my role as a music therapist, can use any song to move my clients towards any clinical or personal goal using the therapeutic triad of music, therapist, and client. I believe that it truly doesn't matter what song I sing to my client as long as the client and I are involved in the music, shaping it and making it work towards the accomplishment of our common goal.

 Example? When I am in a session with 14 clients and 3 staff members, I may feel that it is time to apply elements of the iso-priniciple to assist us in relaxing and calming. I may start with a preferred song of the group as a whole and then start to shape various elements of music to lead the group into relaxation. I might start with that preferred song at a tempo and volume that encourages my clients to participate in the active music making process. Once I have their attention, I will change different elements of the music to help my clients move towards a desired state of being. The ending repetition of the song may be significantly different than the first repetition, or it may lead to a completely different piece of music - this depends on my perception of the music and the clients in the group as well as my own feelings about what is happening in the session.

 So. I continue in my quest to figure out what I mean here. I think it is becoming a bit more clear to me what I want to do on Sundays. Please feel free to comment on this or any blog post. I want to know if others agree or disagree with what I'm thinking...

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Resources:
Occupational Therapy Otago: https://occupationaltherapyotago.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/therapuetic-use-of-self/
Reference.com: https://www.reference.com/world-view/meant-therapeutic-use-self-d237491de52a7748  
CPI: https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/August-2010/Therapeutic-Use-of-Self-The-Concept-of-Action-and

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