Two kinds of music therapy: Exploring ‘genre’ in the context of clinical practice

Abstract

This article explores distinctions between different approaches to music therapy and how these distinctions might be relevant to clinical practice. The article adopts an exploratory subjective stance, with the author exploring the relevance of a perceived distinction between ‘music-centred’ and ‘psychodynamic’ music therapy, as described in the literature, to their own clinical practice. A series of clinical vignettes, taken from work with children and young people, are used to illustrate the influence of both psychodynamic and music-centred theories on clinical practice in context. An integrative client-centred approach is proposed, where psychodynamic thinking and music-centred ideas can be incorporated as needed, according to the individual needs of each client.

“There has probably never been a more important time to be a music therapist”: Exploring how three music therapy practitioners working in adult mental health settings in the UK experienced the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Online music therapy groups may provide an opportunity for social engagement during this period of enforced separation (Molyneux et al, 2020;Thompson & Khalil-Salib, 2021). Whilst the ability to continue to be able to provide music therapy provision remotely has been deemed positive (Annesley, 2020b;Cole et al, 2021;Kantorová et al, 2021), Molyneux et al (2020) note that having established therapeutic relationships before online working commences may facilitate an easier transition. However, this may also be due to the lack of training previously available in relation to working online.…”

Trends of differentiation and integration in UK music therapy and the spectrum of music-centredness

“…In terms of Wilber’s understanding of development, there appears to be lingering difficulty in fully completing a stage in the evolution of UK music therapy, in as much as there is the continuing sense of a conflictual divide and associated separation between approaches (Annesley, 2019; Sutton, 2019; Wetherick, 2019). The difficulty is most obvious when an approach is presented (or perceived to be presented) as the ‘one-way’ of thinking and practicing in music therapy, with other ways of working critiqued as inadequate for us all.…”

“…In UK music therapy, there has been a long-standing trend to differentiate and even oppose psychotherapeutically oriented and ecologically oriented practice; the former associated with Psychodynamic, or Psychoanalytically-Informed Music Therapy, and the latter with Community Music Therapy (CoMT) and music-centred practice. It has been suggested that the polarized thinking which is a symptom of this trend continues to be evident (Annesley, 2019; Sutton, 2019; Wetherick, 2019). Indeed, Wetherick suggests there are increasingly separated discourses in the literature with a ‘lack of integrated meta-theoretical discussion or examples of shared practice’ (p. 67).…”

“…However, while she differentiates the approaches for the purposes of her research, she also suggests that the work of many therapists is in reality likely to move between approaches according to client need, her own work included. Annesley (2019) is a therapist who gives examples of this, describing the 'integrative client-centred approach' (p. 74) which he has developed. In this, he incorporates both psychodynamic and music-centred thinking dependent on client need.…”

What are we waiting for? Anticipating the second edition of The Handbook of Music Therapy by Bunt, Hoskyns and Swamy

“…With a likeminded approach and common goals at the heart of the work, the team are finding it relatively easy to bring different perspectives to the table as they engage in collegial and friendly dialogue about a wide variety of topics. Their appreciation for each other's contribution was readily apparent as they 1 For more information about the conference, see Annesley (2018) and Warner, Tsiris and Watson (2018).…”