Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform teaching and learning, yet educators face the challenge of preparing students to safely and effectively engage with AI (Qoussous & Skaff, 2025). AI is not new to education – it has been around since the 1990s (Kim, Kelly & Prahl, 2025). Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, AI is increasingly integrated into education as tutors and peer learning facilitators (Vasagar, 2017), and is often used to reduce educators’ administrative burden, and even grade assessments (Zhu et al., 2020). AI benefits include personalized teaching strategies and enhancing learning experiences (Kim, Kelly & Prahl, 2025). Yet, as music therapy educators (and clinicians), how do we ensure students engage with AI without undermining our educational integrity? How do we navigate this within the field of music therapy and as music therapy educators? How do we harness the benefits and minimize associated risks or threats? This World Café presents an open space to discuss and explore this topic.

References

Kim, J., Kelly, S., & Prahl, A. (2025). Navigating AI in education: foundational suggestions for leveraging AI in teaching and learning. Communication Education, 74(1), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2024.2447235

Vasagar, J. (2017, July 13). How robots are teaching Singapore’s kids. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/f3cbfada-668e-11e7-8526-7b38dcaef614

Zhu, M., Liu, O. L., & Lee, H. S. (2020). The effect of automated feedback on revision behavior and learning gains in formative assessment of scientific argument writing. Computers & Education, 143, 103668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103668

Quossous, F., & Skaff, S (2025) How to navigate the future of AI in education and education in AI. https://www.ey.com/en_bh/insights/education/how-to-navigate-the-future-of-ai-in-education-and-education-in-ai

Values and legacy are fundamental – yet, often disguised – forces that shape our choices, our ways of being, and how we relate to others and the world around us. It’s not until we face a crisis, however, that these forces surface and may, at times, prompt radical reconsideration or change. In my music therapy work, such crises manifest in many different forms: for example, in improvising with a person searching for meaning while facing death and loss; in reviewing ethics applications for ethnographic projects that challenge conventional research ideals; or, in negotiating differing understandings of evidence and impact with service commissioners.

Marking my appointment as a professor of music therapy in 2025, this keynote takes the form of an inaugural lecture. Rather than a chronological marking of career milestones, I seek a different kind of ‘counting’. I critically explore our notions of value and legacy in music therapy by interweaving moments from my professional journey with developments – and crises – within the field nationally and internationally. Through this interweaving, I raise questions about what 'counts' in music therapy – in practice and assessment, in research, in education, and in the shaping of our professional identities. I reflect on our values and our kleronomia – the Greek word for both heritage and legacy – pointing not only to what we inherent from the past but also to what we may pass on to the future.

This roundtable keynote brings together practitioners, employers and funders to reflect, contemplate and discuss the current landscape of Music Therapy throughout the UK. In recent years, the profession has had to respond to ongoing difficulties to funding, access to services and sustainable working with increasingly creative resolutions. While the need for Music Therapy services continues to grow, ensuring equitable access for Service Users and managing capacity of Therapists continues to be a balancing act across sectors. 

This panel will share their views on the challenges, but also the opportunities for the profession such as reflections on funding, health economics, impact measurement, embracing new ways of working, ensuring quality of practice and staying connected to the bigger picture.

Music therapists are finding themselves coming under increasing pressure to highlight the clinical efficacy of their assessments and interventions within health services. This will increase as the NHS 10-year plan is implemented with a key focus area being around financial reform and outcomes- based funding (NHS England, 2025). This is further documented with a focus on evidence-based practice to improve service delivery (AHP strategy 2022-2027, NHS England). Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) has experienced encouraging growth within Music Therapy over the past 5 years which has meant it is now even more important to evidence our role in a clear, robust and versatile way to both consolidate and continue to grow within a challenging financial climate. Individuals with a Learning Disability (LD) do not experience equality within health services and music therapy within CWPT has become an important ‘reasonable adjustment’ for individuals across the lifespan within an LD and an additional complex health need. Individuals with an LD have an increased chance of severe mental illness (NHS digital, 2019) and on average a reduced lifespan (Leder, 2025). With the shift from illness to prevention as part of the NHS 10 year plan this talk outlines how routine outcomes have been implemented within a specialist music therapy LD service and the challenges that come with balancing evidence based practice alongside person centred service delivery through co-production. This will be achieved through case discussions with a summary of integrated outcomes.

References

The Allied Health Professions (AHP) Strategy for England. AHP's Deliver (2022-2027) NHS England. 

Learning Disabilities Mortality Review. Leder (2025 )

Health Survey for England 2019. NHS digital (2019)

Fit for the future. 10 year health plan for england. NHS england (2025) 

Huntington’s disease poses distinct challenges for family caregivers, shaped by its hereditary nature, limited public and professional understanding, and the complex interplay of progressive physiological, cognitive, and psychological decline. The research study aimed to explore the feasibility of offering music therapy sessions to address the emotional challenges of family carers of people with Huntington’s disease. This presentation will demonstrate how service users, the researcher and the clinician contributed their unique expertise and perspectives to the collaborative co-production of an online music therapy programme for family carers. Their respective contributions will be examined and the way they were integrated into the co-design process will be explored. The clinical implications will be illustrated through highlighting powerful therapeutic moments, practical complexities, and the challenges of meeting clients’ needs while maintaining fidelity to the research protocol. The presenters will highlight their challenges in navigating different research and clinical priorities, providing an illuminating and motivating talk for clinicians and researchers alike. The presentation will end with a summary of the trial’s results and learning points for the audience regarding online clinical delivery of mixed active and receptive music therapy sessions.

References

Aubeeluck, A., Buchanan, H. and Stupple, E.J.N. (2019) 'Quality of life in caregivers of Huntington's disease patients: New considerations', Health Psychology Update, 28(1), pp. 14-19.

Krueger, R.A. and Casey, M.A. (2000) Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. 3rd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

McFerran, K.S. and Grocke, D. (2023) Receptive music therapy: Techniques, clinical applications and new perspectives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Schick-Makaroff, K. (2017) 'Perspectives on mixed methods and integration: Challenges and solutions from health research', International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 9(2), pp. 132-140.

Wollersberger, N. (2023) 'Exploring the impact of an indirect music therapy intervention on the quality of life of informal caregivers of people living with dementia in the community'. PhD thesis. Anglia Ruskin University. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/aru.24835017.v1. 

The “best interest of the child” is a central tenet of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children. Key provisions of the UNCRC are the importance of honoring a child’s voice in all aspects of their lives. This includes the necessity for children to have the opportunity to participate in research that will improve their quality life. The existing research in peer-reviewed music therapy journals lacks strength when it comes to studies involving children. This gap in the literature poses an ethical dilemma, potentially hindering music therapists from making treatment decisions that best serve the child's needs. There are several documents that outline the essentials of ethical research practices when children are participants. These documents do not prevent children from participating in research. Children are, however, considered to need extra protections as they do not have decisional capacity. We will discuss ways in which music therapy research can meet current ethical standards and regulations and uphold the “best interest of the child.” This includes centering children’s voices (when developmentally appropriate) in all aspects of the research process from research question formulation through implementation of the study, and data analysis. We will briefly review the principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice as they apply to research with children. This will be followed by an overview of research supporting the importance of assessing decisional capacity and considering the mature minor doctrine when inviting children to participate in a research study.

References

Chenneville, T., Sibille, K., & Bendell-Estroff, D. (2010). Decisional capacity among minors with HIV: A model for balancing autonomy rights with the need for protection. Ethics and Behavior, 20(2). 83-94. 

Fisher, C. B. (2003). A goodness-of-fit ethic for child assent to nonbeneficial research. AJOB Research, 3(4), 27-28.

Krüger, V., & Murphy, K. M. (2025). Child-centred music therapy: Integrating best interest of the child into therapy, research and practice (Chapter 8). Palgrave Macmillan.

Santelli, J. S., Ott, M. A., English, A., Sawyer, S. M., Sieving, R. E., Nagata, J. M., Melamed, I., Rosenfeld, W. D., Rosen, G., & Ssewamala, F. M. (2025). Guidelines on the inclusion and protection of adolescent minors and young adults in health research: A position statement of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health, 76(5), 944–953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.02.007

Many people who engage with music therapy cannot access traditional instruments or interfaces due to physical, cognitive or neurological barriers. Technology can provide the ability to shape meaningful music, with structure, emotional depth and agency. This Pecha Kucha explores how a gesture-based music creation app, responds to this gap. LIFT Music was developed through co-production with autistic children, music therapists, specialist educators and collaboration with lived experience of acquired brain injury. Central to its design is the question: how can people create layered, musically coherent sound using movement, intention and emotional expression without musical training? Using simple gestures, LIFT enables users to control multiple musical layers, adapting harmony, texture and intensity in response to movement quality and emotional state. This approach draws on neurological principles relating to sensorimotor integration, embodiment and affect regulation, supporting engagement, motivation and sustained creative focus. The presentation will combine short visual examples, movement-based interaction and reflective prompts, making use of the online environment. Lived experience will inform discussion of how technology can support autonomy, identity and musical authorship following neurological change. Rather than positioning technology as a replacement for relational music therapy practice, this contribution invites dialogue about when and why technology can enhance therapeutic work particularly where traditional music-making is inaccessible, and where the desire is not only to produce sound, but to create music that is expressive, intentional and emotionally resonant.

References

1.Shaughnessy, C., Ockelford, A., Bonneville‐Roussy, A. and Mann, W. (2023). Building Musical Lives: The Impact of Supporting Musical Play in the Everyday Lives of Autistic Children and Their Families. Psychology of Music, 52(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356231193155.

2.Ockelford, A. (2020). Extending the Sounds of Intent model of musical development to explore how people with learning difficulties engage in creative multisensory activities. Routledge eBooks, pp.64–107. doi:https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315597867-3.

3.Ragone, G., Good, J. and Howland, K. (2021). How Technology Applied to Music-Therapy and Sound-Based Activities Addresses Motor and Social Skills in Autistic Children. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 5(3), p.11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/mti5030011.

4.Magee, W.L., Clark, I., Tamplin, J. and Bradt, J. (2017). Music interventions for acquired brain injury. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd006787.pub3.

EMDR is a trauma processing protocol developed by Francis Shapiro in 1989. Our roundtable aims to contribute to the growing literature on the integration of arts therapy and EMDR, specifically focusing on the role of music (Davis 2022).Three music therapists trained in EMDR integrated music at different phases of the EMDR protocol to support their clients’ therapeutic journeys.Our presentation includes an overview of EMDR and three case studies: Using Supportive Music and Imagery to prepare for the desensitisation phase of EMDR and to help them embrace inner resources; using pre-existing songs to create a narrative and identify cognitions, distress levels, and body sensations, where music was used as an outcome measure for EMDR effectiveness; using improvised music before and after desensitisation to reflect on emotional shifts during the body scan phase of EMDR. Our clinical experience suggests that music therapy techniques can be effectively integrated into the structure of EMDR when words alone may fall short, but further research discussion is needed to validate the effectiveness of integrating music therapy in EMDR. Discussion will include pros, cons, and considerations of using music within the EMDR protocol, examining each intervention through the lens of EMDR, the appropriateness for this integration for neurodiverse populations and diverse cultural groups, how non-music therapists can use music in EMDR sessions, and how to promote multi-modality EMDR in the context of clinical research.

References

Davis, E.A. (2022) ‘A model for supporting complex trauma treatment integrating the power of creative arts therapies’, in E.A. Davis et al. (eds.) EMDR and creative arts therapies. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 7–63.

Shapiro, F. (1989) ‘Efficacy of the Eye Movement Desensitization Procedure in the Treatment of Traumatic Memories’. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2, pp. 199-223.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490020207

This creative submission explores live descriptive captioning as a relational approach within music improvisation, asking what it might offer music therapy. Developed through collaborative work alongside D/deaf people, this access-led approach is now also being explored in wider music therapy contexts.

Rather than standing outside the improvisation and describing it, live captioning becomes part of the improvisation itself. The captions respond to what unfolds in the moment, noticing qualities of sound, shifts in energy, pauses, repetitions, and the subtle relational movements that emerge within the therapeutic relationship. In this way, captioning becomes another way of listening, offering a shared, visible thread through the improvisation.

Following a brief introduction, I will share a video of a live improvisation with integrated descriptive captioning, inviting attendees to experience how sound and text interact in real time. This will be followed by a reflective discussion exploring access, pacing, language, presence, and the possibilities live descriptive captioning opens up within music therapy.

As with any therapy involving another professional in the therapeutic space, ethics, confidentiality, consent, and data protection are central to this work. This is a familiar part of much D/deaf practice, where sign language interpreters and live captioners are often present within many aspects of daily life and work. Building on this established way of working, the presentation explores live descriptive captioning not only for accessibility, but as a creative addition to music therapy practice.

This presentation reports on a pilot project that was trialled in a music therapy team at an NHS Child Development Service in London. In early 2025, the team identified that there was a changing landscape in the waiting list for music therapy in the service, with high numbers of children turning 4 before September 2025 and therefore likely to be starting school. To meet this need, the team trialled a new slow-open group format which was referred to as the “School Starters” group. A total of 102 appointments were offered, with 15 different children accessing the group between March and August 2025. This presentation will outline some of the successes, challenges and learnings from this pilot project. The successes of the project included a range of benefits for both children and families, and for the service. The group offered children opportunities to develop social interaction skills ahead of starting Reception. The format of the group benefitted the service in enabling a large amount of children to be seen in a small amount of time, cutting down waiting times considerably. Furthermore, administrative time was reduced, and there was a positive impact on assessment processes. Challenges included various administrative uncertainties, a large volume of reports, and the management of endings in the group. Learnings from the project were reflected upon and shared across the team with a view to expanding the project across the three sites used by the service in 2026.

References

Davies, A., Richards, E. and Barwick, N. (2015) Group music therapy: A Group Analytic Approach. New York: Routledge. 

Wood, J., Sandford, S. and Bailey, E. (2016) ‘“The whole is greater”. Developing music therapy services in the National Health Service: A case study revisited’, British Journal of Music Therapy, 30(1), pp. 36–46. doi:10.1177/1359457516637324. 

This presentation is descriptive, reflective and exploratory. It investigates some of the learnings and insights gained during the two-year experience of establishing a choir in a UK women’s prison. It investigates the learning experience of the participants and the facilitators, qualified and student music therapists, employed by prison music charity Changing Tunes. It explores what the choir affords participants in the long and short term. Humanistic principles underpin the work and the five principles of trauma-informed practice – safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment and choice - have guided the work. Community choir practice and prison choir literature have influenced the facilitators' thinking and practice. The presentation will explore the facilitators' clinical decision-making and the use of structure to embed trauma-informed principles. The context is a prison population aged 18 to 70+, not all of whom identify as women. Trauma and adverse childhood experiences are endemic as are mental health issues and self-harming. There is a constant churn of inmates through release, re-offending and abrupt moves to different prisons. In the presentation the choir ‘story’ will be told, including both its positive peak experiences and complex challenges. Anonymised data, collected both as a normal part of every session and from standard CT evaluation and progress forms, will be explored and considered. Suggested benefits fall into three broad categories: togetherness; hope and accomplishment, all scarce, positive experiences in the complex prison environment. Here separated individuals are connected, a group is formed, identities are enhanced.

References

Birch, Catherine (2024) Hidden Voices: Journeying towards trauma-informed practices in community music. Doctoral thesis, York St John University.

Cohen, M. L. (2019). Choral Singing in Prisons: Evidence-Based Activities to Support Returning Citizens. The Prison Journal, 99(4_suppl), 106S-117S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519861082 (Original work published 2019)

Im, V. and Pinto, R. M. (2023) ‘Music and well-being in carceral settings: a scoping review’, Arts & Health, 16(3), pp. 249–265. doi: 10.1080/17533015.2023.2251513.

Silber, L. (2005) Bars behind bars: the impact of a women’s prison choir on social harmony. Music education research. [Online] 7 (2), 251–271.

Weber, A. (2021) The Power of Incarcerated Voices to Transform Community: Research from a Women’s Prison Choir. The Choral journal. 61 (10), 51–60.

Music therapy in neonatal care is a growing field, with the number of music therapists working in neonatal care steadily increasing. It has gained recognition for its capacity to address the unique developmental, sensory, and emotional needs of preterm and critically ill infants, as well as their families. 

Allied health professionals, nurses, doctors, psychologists and parents are recognising the impact of music therapy, particularly in supporting developmentally informed multi-disciplinary approaches, and Family Integrated Care (FiCare). However, there is currently no standardised approach in the UK, despite various international trainings available. In 2024, with the support of the BAMT, a Neonatal Network was established to connect UK music therapists, share knowledge, develop practice, and support professional growth.

This roundtable aims to explore the recent evolution of music therapy in neonatal care through the perspective of music therapists working across inpatient and outpatient neonatal care in London. Key questions that will be explored include: what does the current approach to music therapy practice in neonatal care look like in the UK? What challenges are unique to this specialised population? What current research exists and where are the critical gaps in evidence?

Through interactive group discussion, we will also explore anticipated developments in the profession and co-create a vision for the future by asking the question: “What next?”. This session will provide an opportunity to share experiences, discuss innovation and strengthen the evolving community of practice for music therapy in neonatal care.

References

Jane, K., Hayns-Worthington, R., Gallagher, K., Livermore, P., Shoemark, H. and Robert, G. (2025). Supporting continuing bonds for parents with infants with uncertain futures on neonatal units in the United Kingdom: co-designing a culturally sensitive Music Therapy intervention. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1633878.

‌Coombes, E., Musting, M., Al-Muzzafar, I. and Kalliodi , C. (2021). Baby steps: a report exploring the development of neonatal Music Therapy programmes in Estonia, Greece and Wales. Music and Medicine, 13(2), pp.132–137. doi:https://doi.org/10.47513/mmd.v13i2.801.

Shoemark, H. and Ettenberger, M. (2020). Music Therapy in neonatal intensive care : influences of culture. Dallas, TX: Barcelona Publishers. ISBN 9781945411496.

Jane, K., Gallagher, K., Livermore, P., Shoemark, H. and Robert, G. (2025). Being a parent in neonatal care environments: A survey of the acceptability of sound and song for parents with seriously unwell infants on UK neonatal units. Journal of Neonatal Nursing, [online] 31(3), p.101674. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnn.2025.101674.

Clemencic-Jones V, Trajkovski S, Fuller A, Mattock K, Stulz V. Music Therapy with Preterm Infants and Their Families after Hospital Discharge: An Integrative Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Aug 2;21(8):1018. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph21081018. PMID: 39200629; PMCID: PMC11354888.

In multidisciplinary teams working with children with complex needs, music therapy has often been positioned as an adjunctive treatment—supportive rather than central. This roundtable challenges that assumption, proposing that music therapy can be a primary, integrative intervention that directly promotes neuroplasticity and psychosocial development. Drawing on clinical practice, theory, and emerging research, the panel will explore the evidence and implications of redefining our discipline’s position within interdisciplinary teams. We will consider how music therapy can be the therapy of choice. We will show how it can address complex needs holistically and remain person-centred. We will show how its strength lies in its ability to be flexible and work within the child's scope of interest and window of tolerance. We will show how music therapy has been employed to provide the central mechanism for interdisciplinary work to counter the need for surgical intervention. We will reflect on the risks of subordinating music therapy within professional hierarchies and the opportunities that arise when music is recognised as a primary modality of change. Participants will be invited to join the online debate, contributing perspectives from their own work and exploring questions such as: What evidence supports music therapy as a first-line intervention? What can the music therapy profession do to promote this? How might service structures evolve to accommodate this redefinition? And what does this shift mean for professional identity, collaboration, and child‑centred care? The roundtable will stimulate critical dialogue, promote equality between disciplines, and open space to reframe Music Therapy.

References

Twyford, K., Taylor, S., Valentine, J., Pool, J., Baron, A., & Thornton, A. (2025). Functional outcomes in children and adolescents with neurodisability accessing music therapy: A scoping review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 67(4), 428-442.

Magee, W.L. (2020). Why include music therapy in a neuro-rehabilitation team? Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, 19(2), 9-11.

O’Connor, R., & Gray, D. (2022). Exploring the effectiveness of music therapy intervention as part of interdisciplinary assessment and treatment for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. Music Med, 14, 125-132.

Magee, W. L., & Andrews, K. (2007). Multi-disciplinary perceptions of music therapy in complex neuro-rehabilitation. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 14(2), 70-75. 

Thorn, A. C., Brown, K., Tolland, M., & Read, J. (2023). Pediatric staff and their perceptions of music therapy services. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 73, e138-e145.

Music therapy historically relies on descriptive, often psychodynamic and metaphorical, language to articulate clinical intuition and therapeutic change. Whilst phenomenologically profound and helpful, the use of aesthetic language can obscure underlying mechanics of our work. In the changing landscape of modern, multidisciplinary healthcare, this poses a distinct barrier to communicating the efficacy of our work to scientific and commissioning communities.

This presentation presents a conceptual engineering framework designed to bridge this gap by translating established music therapy concepts into the functional-mechanistic language of contextual behavioural science and relational frame theory. Through a systemic qualitative conceptual analysis of 26 seminal international music therapy texts, 119 clinical passages were extracted, physically remetaphorised, and mapped onto core RFT principles.

This is an initial step in resolving core terminological paradoxes in UK music therapy discourse by establishing clinical music-making as a functional act of non-linguistic verbal behaviour, driven by arbitrarily applicable relational responding. It further identifies a diagnostic fork between direct respondent biological relations and derived, musical meaning. The synthesis yields four thematic domains of convergence: (1) embodiment, vitality, and a musical Self; (2) containment, structure, and safety; (3) the relational space and co-creation; and (4)  psychodynamic processing and defence mechanisms.

Mapping clinical operations onto RFT mechanisms demonstrates early efficacy for converting abstract clinical metaphors into real-time, process-based metrics. Ultimately, this translational model offers a potential scientific vocabulary that preserves the aesthetic richness of the discipline whilst positioning clinical improvisation as a powerful, embodied alternative for training relational flexibility in non-linguistic and traumatised populations.

References

Bruscia, K. E. (2014). Defining Music Therapy (3rd ed.). Barcelona Publishers.

Chan, S. C., Ormandy, S., Stockwell, A., & Rehfeldt, R. A. (2022). The application of relational frame theory to teaching early piano skills to children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(4), 1119-1139.

Dougher, M. J., Augustson, E., Markham, M. R., Greenway, D. E., & Wulfert, E. (1994). The transfer of respondent eliciting and extinction functions through stimulus equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 62(3), 331-351.

Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Roche, B. (Eds.). (2001). Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Reynolds, B. S., & Hayes, L. J. (2017). Parallels and incongruities between musical and verbal behaviors. The Psychological Record, 67(3), 389-399.

Selective Mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that can affect children when they begin school. Usual presentation is lack of speech in educational settings, contrasting with confident speech at home. Prevalence is estimated at 0.7% but can be three times higher for children from migrant backgrounds (Elizur 2003). Long-term impacts include debilitating mental health conditions for children not receiving timely intervention. Case study evidence demonstrates that Music Therapy might provide an effective intervention for children with SM, especially accessible for those learning English as a second language, but an evidence-based, manualised approach is currently lacking. This paper describes how a theoretically grounded Music Therapy intervention for young children with SM (Jones & Odell-Miller 2022) was evaluated using established feasibility and accessibility constructs (Sekhon 2017, Gadke 2021,) Four children with SM in early years school settings were offered manualised music therapy over a 14-week period. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with the music therapist, a school staff member and a parent of each child (n=12). Interviews were analysed using feasibility and acceptability constructs. Results demonstrated high acceptability for all participant groups with clear comprehension and confidence in an intervention viewed as appropriate for the early years population. The importance of cultural competence in delivery was highlighted. Analysis of feasibility demonstrated rapid recruitment, practicality and fit with the school environment, and a strong sense of perceived effectiveness including anxiety reduction, improved emotional well-being, increased self-expression and generalised speech. This study supports a formal trial of the intervention as the next stage.

References

Elizur, Y., Perednik, R. (2003). Prevalence and description of selective mutism in immigrant and native families: a controlled study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1451-1459.

Jones, K., & Odell-Miller, H. (2022). A theoretical framework for the use of music therapy in the treatment of selective mutism in young children: Multiple case study research. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 32(1), 4–28. 

Gadke, D. L., Kratochwill, T. R., & Gettinger, M. (2021). Incorporating feasibility protocols in intervention research. Journal of School Psychology, 84, 1-18.    

Sekhon, M., Cartwright, M., & Francis, J. J. (2017). Acceptability of healthcare interventions: an overview of reviews and development of a theoretical framework. BMC Health Services Research, 17, 1-13.

Jones,K., Gillard, S., (2025) Feasibility and Acceptability Study of Early Intervention Music Therapy for Young Children with Selective Mutism 

https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/tbS1CzmG4Inp5AGT4fAu9Mj0q?domain=medrxiv.org pre-print

Parent–infant relationships develop through embodied and sensory interaction, aligning closely with the relational foundations of music therapy and the wider arts therapies. Despite positive evidence, arts therapies knowledge requires clearer ethical translation into wider early years practice without substituting specialist arts therapies roles.

This workshop introduces a relational framework emerging from doctoral research that integrates findings from a systematic review of arts therapies literature and qualitative interviews with arts therapists. The framework draws on arts therapies evidence and practitioner knowledge to support parent–infant relationships, while maintaining clear professional boundaries around transferability beyond specialist arts therapies roles.

The session is designed as a research-informed, reflective workshop focused on professional thinking. It will introduce the relational framework and invite participants to engage with its core principles through brief, contained reflective activities. These activities support reflection on relational practice rather than therapeutic technique.

Participants will be invited to consider how practitioner actions can be framed as relational invitations rather than interventions, and how arts therapies knowledge might be translated across different professional contexts. The workshop will invite reflection on what can be shared across arts modalities and contexts, what remains distinctive, and the implications for transferability, professional boundaries and interdisciplinary working.

The framework informs three audience-specific guides. Co-design with parents, practitioners and arts therapists informs their design, relevance and usability. Through reflection on relational practice, transferability and interdisciplinary working, the workshop connects these questions to BAMT’s theme, Music Therapy in a Changing Landscape.

References

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage.

HM Government. (2021). The best start for life: A vision for the 1,001 critical days. Department of Health & Social Care.

Leavy, P. (2015). Method meets art: Arts-based research practice (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Malloch, S., & Trevarthen, C. (2009). Communicative musicality: Exploring the basis of human companionship. Oxford University Press.

Stern, D. N. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant: A view from psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. Basic Books.

National data show that over a quarter of a million children in England are currently waiting for mental health support (Children’s Commissioner, 2024). At the same time, schools are increasingly expected to play a central role in early intervention through statutory wellbeing education and emerging policy reforms (Department for Education, 2021; Gov.uk, 2024; NHS Digital, 2020). In response to this context, ARU and West England Music and Arts (WEMA) led research into the Nurture Program; an initiative that delivers music therapy–informed practice designed to support children’s wellbeing, engagement, and emotional regulation within mainstream primary schools. The programme reframes music therapy services as a continuum of support embedded within nurture groups, classroom routines, and whole-school practice. This workshop invites participants to experience the WEMA Nurture Programme from the inside. Attendees will actively participate in selected music activities drawn directly from the program protocol, engaging as if they were pupils in a classroom setting. The workshop will also present findings from a recent mixed-methods research study, highlighting the impact on pupil wellbeing, anxiety, and engagement, alongside staff reflections on delivering the program. Discussion will also explore the evolving role of the music therapist as facilitator, trainer, and collaborator, and on how music therapy skills can be ethically and sustainably shared with non-specialist staff while maintaining therapeutic integrity. Themes of feasibility, interdisciplinary working, and service innovation will be woven throughout, offering space for dialogue about how music therapists can respond creatively and sustainably to current challenges in education and children’s mental health.

References

Commissioner’s Report (2024) ‘Press Notice: Over a quarter of a million children still waiting for mental health support, Children’s Commissioner warns’ Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/blog/over-a-quarter-of-a-million-children-still-waiting-for-mental-health-support/#:~:text=The%20annual%20report%20on%20children%27s,for%20a%20third%20of%20referrals (accessed 27th January 2026) 

• Department for Education (2021) ‘Statutory guidance - Physical health and mental wellbeing (Primary and secondary)’ Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/physical-health-and-mental-wellbeing-primary-and-secondary#:~:text=Emphasis%20should%20continue%20to%20be,and%20strategies%20for%20building%20resilience. (accessed 26th January 2026) 

• Gov.uk (2024) ‘The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: what parents need to know’ Available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/the-childrens-wellbeing-bill-what-parents-need-to-know/  (accessed 26th January 2026) 

• NHS Digital (2020) ‘Mental health of children and young people in England, 2020’ Available at: https://files.digital.nhs.uk/CB/C41981/mhcyp_2020_rep.pdf  (accessed 26th January 2026)

As a music therapist working within a Mental Health support team, this session will reflect on the impact of short term individual work with children and young people. Within our service we are commissioned to offer 6-8 sessions of individual therapy, as well as offering a number of whole school approach work across a number of schools. Within my role these include, reflective practice for school staff, parent work and coffee mornings educating parents on topics such as attachment and the importance of play, parental wellbeing, supporting children with anxiety and low mood. With the broad scope of services offered my practice and experience has grown and changed over the number of years I’ve been in the team. One of the main things I have been reflecting on recently is thinking about the effectiveness of short-term work and the importance of providing containing endings for the clients I am working with over a short period of time. This presentation will reflect on my clinical work and reflections on the importance of preparing the client for the ending from the first session and how to support a client with the containing ending. I will also reflect on the importance of including parents/carers/school and other key supports to see best outcomes.

This roundtable offers reflections on the process of training, evaluation, collaboration, and intercultural dialogue surrounding the development and use of the Music Engagement Scale (MES). The MES is an instrument which measures the client’s engagement with music making during music therapy sessions and is currently utilized in ten countries worldwide. Drawing from their personal experiences as MES researchers, trainers, clinicians, and raters, the panel will share their discoveries and the challenges they encountered. 

The interdisciplinary research team, composed of people from diverse regions around the world, met weekly to collaboratively score music therapy sessions and refine the descriptive language of the scale. This process not only enhanced the scale’s interrater reliability, face validity, and sensitivity to change, but also contributed to the ongoing development of the scale as a multi-culturally viable and effective tool. Additionally, it exemplifies the benefits of sustained international teamwork and the importance of inclusive research practices. It further highlights the need for evaluation tools that are adaptable while maintaining their conceptual integrity across a variety of clinical settings. Particular attention is given to language-related considerations and cultural norms around communication and music engagement, which were identified as significant factors influencing reliability and interpretation of scores. 

The wide-ranging backgrounds of the MES raters enriched the scale’s global applicability, and future training cohorts will help support and expand its wider use. Ultimately, this international collaboration underscores the importance of providing accessible, formal opportunities that explicitly integrate cultural and linguistic dimensions into future training initiatives and research designs.

This Pecha Kucha presentation explores culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, and music-centered approaches to music therapy with families experiencing traumatic loss in paediatric medical settings. Drawing on clinical case examples, the presentation examines work with families in the pediatric ICU facing ambiguous and traumatic loss, anticipatory grief, and bereavement. following the death of a child, as well as situations involving devastating neurological injury where the child is not brain dead, creating prolonged uncertainty, moral dilemma, and moral injury for families and clinicians alike. Families navigating traumatic or ambiguous loss often encounter stigma, bias, and constraints on culturally meaningful expressions of grief within medical systems shaped by hierarchy, urgency, and dominant cultural norms. Music therapy can offer a culturally appropriate container that honours diverse mourning practices, supports relational connection, and creates space for meaning-making when loss is ongoing, unclear, or socially unrecognised. In turn, music therapy involvement can support reduction of stress responses and of moral injury for clinicians involved. Case examples will highlight interventions including song and rap writing, improvised song, music recording projects, somatic music-based techniques, and advocacy within the medical system. An explicitly anti-oppressive framework centres family knowledge, cultural identity, and self-determination, while critically attending to the clinician’s positionality, power, and ethical responsibility within hierarchical healthcare structures.

References

Cacciatore, J. (2017). Bearing the unbearable: Love, loss, and the heartbreaking path of grief. Wisdom Publications.

Cacciatore, J., & Flint, M. (2012). ATTEND: Toward a mindfulness-based bereavement care model. Death Studies, 36(1), 61–82.

Hadley, S., & Norris, M. S. (Eds.). (2016). Music therapy and social justice: A personal journey. Barcelona Publishers.

Turgut, M., & Yıldız, H. (2023). Investigation of grief and posttraumatic growth related to patient loss in pediatric intensive care nurses — offers perspective on clinical grief responses in medical settings.

Do you, like me, question how your music therapy work can respond to the troubling times we live in? Do you wonder whether the care systems and structures you work within are adequate to meet the critical needs of our clients? Do you wonder whether the grief that people are experiencing is, not something to be “fixed” but, a wholly appropriate response to the world we are living in? In an era of polycrisis—where social, political, climate, and economic pressures intersect and intensify—how might our inherited ideas of care unintentionally confine people and communities within systems no longer adequate for these challenges? And how might our assumptions about what ‘wellness’ should look like, flatten the necessary expressions of our entanglement with this troubling time? This creative session asks participants to set aside the usual expectations of learning outcomes, collectable interventions, or meaningful ‘take-aways.’ Instead, with the help of prompts for creative processes, we will explore the cracks already forming in our own thinking, in the work with our clients, and the structures and systems we work within. Together, we will experiment with emerging gestures of failure, weirdness, queerness, and divergence, as possible openings toward other ways of thinking about our work and being with one another. This is an invitation to “be with the trouble,” in community. Participants are encouraged to bring simple art materials, an instrument, music for listening, and/or perhaps a device with a simple recording capacity, as we co-create a space for curiosity, discomfort, and playful unravelling.

In 2025, BAMT launched a new membership category for Music Therapy Assistants. This change was prompted by an informal network of Music Therapy Assistants and Music Therapists which has emerged in recent years to offer peer support and share learning as assistant roles have developed in different organisations. Assistant posts have existed in varied settings for many years but this network has formed as more organisations within the UK have recognised the value of assistant

posts across education, charity and healthcare settings. Recognition by BAMT represents an important moment for these posts to become more established within the shifting landscape of the music therapy workforce.

Whilst there has been an important drive for the profession to diversify and better represent client populations (BAMT, 2020), barriers to introducing music therapy apprenticeships mean that access to music therapy work and training opportunities remains limited. Music Therapy Assistant posts represent another way to broaden access to music therapy work and, importantly, enable the profession to benefit from working with colleagues with diverse experiences and skills

This roundtable is a conversation between Assistants, Music Therapists and BAMT, an important opportunity for music therapy assistant voices to be heard, and the development of these posts to be valued. Through sharing the journeys of how posts have emerged and benefited music therapy services, this is a moment to be proud of what has been achieved and ambitious for how Music Therapy Assistant posts can become an established feature of the professional landscape of the

future.

References

British Association for Music Therapy (2020) Diversity Report. https://www.bamt.org/about-british-association-for-music-therapy/covid-19-useful-information.html 

referncesThis roundtable brings together music therapists who have deliberately employed co-production in their education, research, or therapy setting. The roundtable will begin with each participant speaking about their experience of co-production, within research, practice, and training (Price and Watson 2025, Watson and Warner 2025, Myerscough forthcoming). Contrasting definitions and experiences of co-production, alongside the ways in which Music Therapists are required to co-produce through HCPC regulatory frameworks will be discussed (Arnstein 1969, HCPC 2023). Questions will be invited from the audience, with possible discussion points being: - Parallels and divergences between co-producing therapeutic work, education and research. - Skills required to facilitate co-production meaningfully. - How therapeutic and organisational processes can be viewed with an eye to co-production (e.g. timescales, methods of communication). The panel will share ideas and conversations that they have found useful in their work. The roundtable will conclude with exploration of starting points for Music Therapists who want to begin deliberate and authentic co-production.

References

Arnstein, S. (1969.)  A ladder of citizen participation.  Journal of the American Planning Association, 35(4), 216–224.

Health and Care Professions Council. (2023). Standards of proficiency: Arts therapists. HCPC. https://www.hcpc-uk.org

Myerscough, F. (Forthcoming). Co-production of Arts Therapies Provision: A Grounded Theory Study. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University

Price, A., and Watson, T. (2026) Book of Abstracts, Collaborate to Educate: Sharing excellence in co-production), University of Roehampton

Watson, T., and Warner, C. (2025) Contemporary issues in music therapy training : a resource for trainees, trainers and practitioners, Routledge

The BAMT Diversity Report (2020) included the first ever survey of UK music therapists’ musical backgrounds. A high proportion of music therapists reported a ‘classical music’ background, with most also having skills in at least one other genre. Both the BAMT report and other qualitative studies on ethnic and socio-economic diversity of UK music therapy trainees have cited admissions requirements as potentially privileging 'classical' musicians. Five years on, how accurate is this picture, and is it changing? The complexity of musicianship (e.g. early training compared to later practice) and its relationship to music therapy training and practice (‘music therapy musicianship’) make understanding musical diversity among music therapists both important and challenging. Admissions processes have been modified to attract more diverse musicians, but agreed measures of musical diversity are not yet established. It is not clear what effect changes may be having, or how best to evaluate them. This study is a first attempt at evaluating the musical diversity of future UK music therapists. It reports on a survey of UK music therapy trainings [in process] asking about degree level musical training and first study instruments of enrolled UK students from 2020 to 2024. It uses Bull et al.’s recent (2022) study of diversity in higher music education for context and comparison. The study aims to give quantitative measures of musical diversity at admission to music therapy training, and also to explore how diverse musicianships can be better understood in relation to music therapy training and practice.

References

Bull, A., Bhachu, D., Blier-Carruthers, A., Bradley, A., & James, S. (2022). Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UK Music Higher Education: Slow Train Coming? Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies network. https://edims.network/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/EDIMS-Report.pdf.

Langford, A., Rizkallah, M., & Maddocks, C. (2020). Diversity Report. London: BAMT. https://www.bamt.org/resources/diversity-report.

Lindo, D. (2023). Examining the accessibility of MA Music Therapy training in the United Kingdom for ethnic minority communities. British Journal of Music Therapy, 37(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/13594575231154491.

Mains, T., Clarke, V., & Annesley, L. (2024). “Music therapy is the very definition of white privilege”: Music therapists’ perspectives on race and class in UK music therapy. Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy. https://doi.org/10.56883/AIJMT.2024.20.

Wetherick, D. (2022). Assessing Musicianship in Selection for UK Music Therapy Training. Unpublished Doctoral thesis, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/31548/.

Experiential Learning Groups (ELGs) are a well-established element within UK music therapy training programmes, yet their longer-term impact on professional development and clinical practice remains largely unexplored. While ELGs are widely assumed to support reflective capacity, emotional awareness, and understanding of group processes (Davies, 2007), little research has examined how qualified music therapists look back on these experiences and describe integrating this learning into their ongoing practice. The presenters will share their findings from a qualitative study exploring how qualified music therapists retrospectively understand their experiences of ELGs during training, and how these experiences have shaped their professional identity, emotional wellbeing, understanding of musical and group processes, and clinical work over time. By focusing on retrospective perspectives, the study shifts attention towards longer-term integration and meaning-making. This approach enables learning from qualified therapists about which aspects of experiential group learning continue to matter in practice, how this learning is carried forward into professional roles, and where gaps or tensions may remain. Preliminary findings will be presented, opening space for reflection on implications for music therapy training and curriculum design. The presentation will invite consideration of how listening to therapists’ accounts of their own learning can inform the development of experiential pedagogies that remain responsive, sustainable, and relevant within a changing professional landscape.

References

Amir, D., & Bodner, E. (2013). Music therapy students’ reflections on their participation in a music therapy group. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 22(3), 243–273. 

Davies, A. (2007). Experiential groups on music therapy trainings. In A. Davies, E. Richards, N. Barwick (Eds.), Group Music Therapy (pp. 149–162). London: Routledge. 

Jackson, N. A., & Gardstrom, S. C. (2012). Undergraduate music therapy students’ experiences as clients in short-term group music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 30(1), 65–82. 

Payne, H. L. (2010). Personal development groups in postgraduate dance movement psychotherapy training: A study examining their contribution to practice. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 37(3), 202–210. 

Smith, C., & Burr, V. (2021). Retrospective accounts of emotional experiences during personal development groups in qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(2), 238–249. 

Problem Based Learning is a pedagogical approach widely used across healthcare subjects and increasingly explored in music therapy (Holden, Coombes and Evans, 2020). This approach nurtures confidence in clinical reasoning skills, identifying current knowledge as well as what learning is necessary to inform and underpin future clinical practice (Baker, 2007). In alignment with our programme’s social justice focus (Coombes and Pickard, 2024), an innovative dimension was incorporated in the most recent iteration of the module, providing opportunities for students to experience, identify and interrogate unconscious bias in their initial responses to clinical scenarios during Problem Based Learning seminars. Unconscious bias exists both at individual and systemic levels within the music therapy profession (Taylor, 2023). We endeavour to challenge systemic issues in our pedagogical approaches, while also supporting students to interrogate their own unconscious bias and its potential impact on service users’ lives through clinical reasoning. This presentation will present the outcomes of this pedagogical research project. It will centre student voices and reflect on the impact of drawing attention to unconscious bias in making evidence-based, clinical decisions.

References

Baker, F. (2007), ‘Enhancing the Clinical Reasoning Skills of Music Therapy Students through Problem Based Learning: An Action Research Project’, Nordic journal of music therapy. 16 (1), p. 27–41.

Coombes, E. and Pickard, B. (2024), ‘I always wanted to be a music therapist, but…’:

An exploration of developing inclusivity and widening access in music therapy training through the lens of the revalidated programme  at the University of South Wales.’ “Looking Back Moving Forward”, Music Therapy New Zealand 50th Conference, Wellington, New Zealand and Online - 14-15 September 2024.

Holden, S., Coombes, E. and Evans, (2020), ‘Do problem-based learning approaches provide effective educational interventions for music therapy training courses? Experiences from an action research project at the University of South Wales’, Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy, 12(1), p. 88-109.

Taylor, D. (2023), ‘Reimagining Music Therapy Education and Training Without Intrinsic Bias’, in Goodman, K. (Ed), Developing Issues in World Music Therapy Education and Training: A Plurality of Views, Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Limited, p. 165-188.

Although the value of lived experience is increasingly recognized within the music therapy profession (Swamy and Webb, 2022; Davis et al, 2025), there has been scant consideration of the lived experiences of disabled music therapists. This presentation reports on an online survey looking at the lived experiences of disabled music therapists / music therapy students, and music therapists / music therapy students living with chronic health conditions in the UK. We wanted to counter the relative invisibility of disabled music therapists, and to explore both the adversities that they might be experiencing and the value they can bring to their profession (Palmer & Ojala 2022; Bruce 2022). Following a systematic literature review, which found only eleven international sources about the lived experiences of disabled music therapists, and consultation with members of the BAMT Support Network for Disabled Music Therapists, an online survey was devised to capture insights about general experiences, training experiences and professional experiences. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022), drawing from the richness of our cross-neurotype collaboration. Five themes were identified: contrasting experiences and viewpoints; the impact of attitudes; the complexity of lived experience; issues around disclosure; and lack of acceptance and understanding. We hope that our results will help to illuminate the current experiences of disabled music therapists, as well as provoke consideration of how the music therapy profession can best support and include disabled members, and how lived experience insights into disability can enhance music therapy practice in the future.

References

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2022), Thematic Analysis: A practical guide, SAGE.

Bruce, C., 2022. “Performing Normal: Restless Reflections on Music’s Dis/Abling Potential”. Music Therapy Perspectives, 40(2).

Davis, B., Kalenderidis, Z., Thompson, G. and Shaw, C. (2025), ‘Music therapists’ lived experience as a radical resource’, Voices: A World Forum on Music Therapy. 25(2).

Palmer, R.C. and Ojala, S., 2022, November. Vibrational Music Therapy with D/deaf clients. In Voices: a world forum for music therapy 22 (3).

Swamy, S. and Webb, A. (2022), Voices of Change: Learning from the Lived Experiences of Minoritized Music Therapists’. Music Therapy Perspectives. 40(2). 

An emerging empirical evidence base concerned with sensory and movement differences in autistic persons is developing within neuroscience and associated research fields. This evidence has the potential to change radically the landscape of how autism is understood. In essence, findings point to a paradigm shift from understanding autism as a ‘social communication disorder’, to a dynamic developmental interaction of sensory processing differences, present at birth, which cascade into movement and functional differences, including social and communication skills. Neurologic Music Therapy® is an evidence-based system of techniques, inclusive of assessment and treatment, to support functioning. For over 25 years, a key practitioner of NMT™ with autism, Suzanne Oliver, has been developing interventions based on these emerging findings, with this population at her Arizona clinic. With a specific focus on optimising cognitive alertness and developing sensory coordination, these interventions seek to help individuals develop motor control and autonomy. In effect, to be able to do more of what they want, and less of what they don’t want to do. The presenters will share their processes of developing this practice in the UK between 2020 and 2026, under the mentorship of Suzanne Oliver. Key findings from the developing evidence base, including differences in sensory processing, movement, brain connectivity, and cognitive motor dysfunction, will be highlighted. And the work will be illustrated using video examples, client feedback, and discussion of differences from standard music therapy models.

References

Torres, E. (2024) Autism Autonomy: In Search of our Human Dignity (London, Elsevier)  

Buckle et al (2021) “No Way Out Except From External Intervention”: First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia  Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience Vol. 12:631596. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631596 

Fournier et al (2010) ‘Motor Coordination in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis’. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders 40:1227–1240 DOI 10.1007/s10803-010-0981-3

Janzen and Thaut (2018) ‘Rethinking the role of music in the neurodevelopment

of autism spectrum disorder’. Music & Science Volume 1: 1–18. DOI: 10.1177/2059204318769639

Thompson, J. (23.10.2022) Baselines Podcast Episode 15: Jessi Teich  https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/baselines-in-music-therapy/id1584523236?i=1000583606579

Our submission is co-presented by two colleagues from a small outreach music therapy service in central London. Many of the children and young people face access barriers such as neurodivergence, trauma, and low school attendance, making engagement a key challenge. We explore how institutional dynamics shape therapists’ experiences, the therapy process, and the service’s recognition within schools (Neale, 2010). Our first speaker describes her experience running a music therapy service at a pupil referral unit school. Pupils are enrolled for temporary ‘placements’, creating instability and a lack of permanence. This is reflected in the decision to keep the service on a fixed-term project base, with funding re-assessed annually. There is a high sense of anxiety, ‘not belonging’ and of being outside of the norm present, mirroring the identities of the pupils. This anxiety is played out in the delicate balance of maintaining this service (Shipley & Odell Miller, 2012). Our second speaker shares her experience running a music therapy service in a mainstream secondary school with many pupils experiencing SEMH, SEND, EBSA, trauma, and ‘pain-based behaviour’. The school struggles to manage students’ emotions and operates in a ‘gang’ state of mind (Canham, 2002). Strong countertransference of ‘shouldering inadequacy’ (Mawson, 2019) and pressure to prove effectiveness for funding create pervasive anxiety. These conditions make secure attachments, a core need for this client group, especially challenging. The presenters conclude with a discussion on the value of self-reflective practice in addressing institutional dynamics and countertransference of instability and insecurity (Corry and Sutton, 2014).

References

Canham, H., 2002. Group and gang states of mind, Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 28(2), pp. 113-127.

Corry, J. and Sutton, J., 2014.  Institutional Dynamics and the Art and Practice of Self Reflection. In: The Music in Music Therapy: Psychodynamic Music Therapy in Europe: Clinical, Theoretical and Research Approaches. De Backer, J., and Sutton, J., (Eds). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Pp: 320 – 337.

Mawson, C., 2019. Containing Anxiety in Work with Damaged Children. In: The Unconscious at Work. Obholzer, A. and Zagier Roberts, V., (Eds). Oxon: Routledge. Pp: 80-87.

Neale, L., 2010. Organisational Anxiety, Envy and Defences: In and Out of the Music Therapy Room. British Journal of Music Therapy, 24(1), pp.42-49.

Shipley, A. and Odell-Miller, H., 2012. The role of music therapy for anxious adolescent school refusers: The importance of identity. British Journal of Music Therapy, 26(1), pp.39-52.

Mental Health (MH) problems amongst children and young people (CYP) are increasing alarmingly[1], and NHS policy[2] reinforces the need to improve access to MH services for 0-17 year olds. Many music and other arts therapists work with CYP. Despite a growing evidence base, manualised interventions are essential for the production of the type of evidence needed (i.e., RCTs) for bringing arts therapies into services and/or for retaining existing posts. However, our research suggests a limited number of appropriate RCTs in arts therapies with CYP[3]. Arts for the Blues[4] is a manualised intervention drawing upon arts therapies and a synthesis of helpful factors in evidence-based forms of psychotherapy. The model is structured but flexible, using personalised and creative methods (music, dance movement, drama and visual arts). It began as an intervention for adults in Talking Therapies and has since been adapted for children. Studies in schools have found statistically significant and sustained improvements in children’s wellbeing and quality of life when attending the Arts for the Blues groups compared to being on a waitlist[5]. Building on this, the ABC-f project will determine the feasibility of conducting a study with CYP aged 9-13 in mental health services to evaluate the effectiveness of Arts for the Blues. We will address uncertainties regarding the study design and the intervention within an NHS context, with the aim to progress to a fully powered RCT. In this presentation, we will describe Arts for the Blues and the feasibility study, as well as some preliminary results.

References

[1] Newlove-Delgado et al. (2022). https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2022-follow-up-to-the-2017-survey 

[2] NHS England. (2022). https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/national-healthcare-inequalities-improvement-programme/core20plus5/core20plus5-cyp/ 

[3] Cheung et al. (2026 under review). Effectiveness of arts and arts therapies on mental health outcomes for children and young people. Submitted to BMJ. 

[4] Omylinska-Thurston et al. (2020). Arts for the Blues: The development of a new evidence-based creative group psychotherapy for depression, Counselling & Psychotherapy Research 21(3), 597-607. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12373

[5] Karkou et al. (2026 in print). Arts for the Blues for children and young people: the development and testing of a manual of an evidence-based creative psychological group intervention. In S Hackett and J Bourne (eds), Advancing Arts Therapies through Manualized interventions for treatment and training

refreThe Holding Chain is a joint presentation from trainer and trainee, reflecting on the experience of Austin Vocal Psychotherapy training and its influence on clinical practice. Drawing directly on this shared process, we explore how trust, embodiment, and relationship shape the capacity to work with trauma, and how this capacity is transmitted from training into the therapy room. From the trainer’s perspective, holding the trainee involves creating a stable and attuned framework in which uncertainty, vulnerability, and personal material can emerge safely. From the trainee’s perspective, the work requires a willingness to trust the trainer, the method, and the wisdom of the body. Within this relational field, traumatic experience can be felt, voiced, and integrated rather than intellectualized or avoided. Central to this process is the understanding of voice as an embodied pathway to presence and connection. Diane Austin describes Vocal Psychotherapy as a means of giving sound to dissociated experience, allowing implicit material to find expression through breath, vibration, and relationship (Austin 2008). Working in this way strengthened our capacity for regulation and supported a deeper therapeutic availability. As Carl Jung wrote, “Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul be just another human soul.” (Jung 1966) This stance aligns with Wilfred Bion’s invitation to approach the clinical encounter “without memory or desire.” (Bion 1970). As a trainee, this led to meaningful personal change; as a practitioner, it deepened the ability to hold clients through trauma toward real-life transformation. The holding chain describes this embodied continuity.

References

Austin, D. (2008) The Theory and Practice of Vocal Psychotherapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Bion, W.R. (1970) Attention and Interpretation. London: Tavistock Publications.

Jung, C.G. (1966) The Practice of Psychotherapy. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

This Pecha Kucha presentation follows the lessons learnt and the ambitions inspired from the experience of delivering a two-year quality improvement project in an NHS Trust implementing a new music therapy provision in a forensic mental health setting. It follows the challenges to gain new funding amongst changing commissioning priorities and parameters, when there is compelling evidence for the effectiveness of music therapy in inpatient adult mental health settings, Abbing et al (2023), including in relation to tackling health inequalities and high relevance health areas such as substance use disorders, Ghetti et al (2023). It explores the evidence found in this project for the value of music therapy for patients who aren’t accessing other psychological therapies and the need for non-verbal based psychological interventions for patients who have significant trauma, learning needs, neurodiversity, English as an additional language and challenges coming to terms with the impact of their index offences. It explores the question of how we can best present the evidence for a cost saving benefit from investment in music therapy in forensic inpatient services at the time of a challenging funding landscape?

References

Abbing, A., Haeyen, S., Nyapati, S., Verboon, P., & Hooren, S. van. (2023). Effectiveness and mechanisms of the arts therapies in forensic care. A systematic review, narrative synthesis, and meta analysis. In Frontiers in Psychiatry (Vol. 14). Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1128252

Ghetti, C., Chen, X. J., Brenner, A. K., Hakvoort, L. G., Lien, L., Fachner, J., & Gold, C. (2022). Music therapy for people with substance use disorders. In Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Vol. 2022, Issue 5). John Wiley and Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012576.pub3

Millard, E., & Carr, C. (2021). Music Therapy in Psychiatry. In U. Volpe (Ed.), Arts Therapies in Psychiatric Rehabilitation (pp. 35–60). Springer.

When Davina Vencatasamy, Michaela De Cruz and Jonathan Tang set up the We Are Monster Network for music therapists of colour, they had a keen awareness that anti-racism work in the music therapy profession requires an equally robust white allyship movement. This was first attempted by colleagues in 2022 but did not get off the ground. In 2024, Cress Lindsay and Lottie McVicker decided to relaunch an allies group in the hope that others would be willing to join regularly to discuss how to work towards meaningful allyship in our field. We propose to summarise our motivation for, and process of, setting up the Anti-Racism Allies in Music Therapy group (ARAMT). We would discuss the experiences we have undergone exploring our white privilege and the conversations we have had about its effect on our position as music therapists in a variety of clinical settings. We would outline what we learned from our engagement with the workbook Me and White Supremacy (Saad, 2020), and discuss some of the music therapy and psychotherapy literature that has informed our conversations and explorations. We would also include the creative reflections resulting from an SMI session about our experiences. We would speak about the hopes we have for change in ourselves, in the profession and wider health field, including actions we have taken, encouraging others to join us in the group and explore the work further.

References

de Rementeria Alexandra (2024) Fear and loathing, love and othering: the legacy of early Oedipal struggles as manifest in racialised dynamics in the consulting room, Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 50:1, 97-115, DOI: 10.1080/0075417X.2024.2312522

Ellis, E (2021) The Race Conversation. London: Confer Books

Fisher, C. & Leonard, H. (2022) ‘Unsettling the Classroom and The Session: Anti-Colonial Framing Through Hip Hop for Music Therapy Education and therapeutic Work’ in The Colonialism and Music Therapy Interlocutors (CAMTI) Collective Colonialism and Music Therapy. Barcelona Publishers

Hadley, S. & Norris, M. (2016) Musical Multicultural Competency in Music Therapy: The First Step, Music Therapy Perspectives, Volume 34, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 129–137, https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miv045

Saad, L. (2020). Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. Sourcebooks.

This workshop will share insights stemming from previous research and practice centered in cultural humility. Intersecting dynamics between cultural humility and effective treatment of trauma will be identified and explored. Participants will be asked to explore their own intersecting identities, practice self-reflection, accountability and lean into potential discomfort that can emerge during workshop discussions. Cultural humility, trauma and self-compassion will be defined, and participants will be encouraged to identify their own strengths and areas for potential growth. Some known impacts of trauma will be discussed, as well as ways in which culture informs our views on health and well-being. Some harmful practices and work base examples of harmful practice will be discussed, and participants will be asked to identify situations in which we as practitioners participate in perpetuating the status quo. Terms such as assimilation and acculturation will also be defined, and some cultural cross cutting factors will be shared for the betterment of insight. In addition, prompts, practices and benefits of engaging in critical thinking as a form of disruption of said harmful systems, will be presented throughout this workshop. Topics about decolonizing, deconstructing and unlearning, and reparenting will also be salient throughout this workshop. 

This presentation explores the process of bridging music therapy practice and research through clinical work with individuals engaged in eating disorder (ED) treatment. In eating disorder treatment, music therapy often unfolds in nuanced, embodied, and relational ways that are not always captured by existing research models. Yet it is within these moments of clinical complexity that meaningful therapeutic work and research questions can emerge.

Drawing from clinical experience, this presentation highlights how observations in sessions, such as clients’ music choices, patterns of engagement, responses to improvisation, and shifts in agency and emotional expression can inform research development. For example, clinical observations of how clients use music to regulate affect, externalize internal experiences, or negotiate control and vulnerability can become the foundation for systematic inquiry. Rather than separating practice from research, this approach positions the therapist as practitioner-researcher, listening closely and reflecting on both music and therapeutic processes.

The presentation explores strategies for translating clinical insights into research questions, including reflective practice, thematic analysis of session experiences, and collaboration with interdisciplinary treatment teams. Ethical considerations, including client voice, reflexivity, and the complexity of researching embodied and creative processes, will also be explored.

By grounding research in clinical practice, music therapists can contribute knowledge that is both clinically relevant and methodologically rigorous. This presentation advocates for a reciprocal relationship between practice and research, in which research is shaped by what emerges from therapeutic practice and is strengthened by inquiry that honours the depth and complexity of music therapy work in ED treatment.

References

Heiderscheit, A. (2023). Feasibility of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) in eating  disorder treatment: Clients perceived benefits and challenges. Arts in Psychotherapy. doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2023.102086 

Heiderscheit, A. (2024). Thematic and intertextual analysis of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) with clients in eating disorder treatment. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1456033. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1456033

Heiderscheit, A. Gawronski, J. Bloska, J. Milton, T. & Neufeld, S. (2025). Music-based interventions in the treatment of eating disorder: A scoping review. Frontiers Psychiatry, 16. 

doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1660696

Heiderscheit, A., Short, A. E., Trondalen, G., & Young, L. (2025). An integration of physical and psychological health through the Hero’s Journey in Guided Imagery & Music: A cross case analysis. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 96, Article 102348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2025.102348

Himmerich, H. & Heiderscheit, A. (2024). The challenges and opportunities related to the therapeutic use of music in psychiatry. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 24(7), 615-618. doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2024.2359429.

In recent years, many orchestras and other performing arts organisations internationally have expanded their remit beyond performing. This expanded remit includes participatory workshops and community engagement initiatives including the use of music in health and wellbeing settings for diverse groups. Documentation and evaluation of such practices, however, remains limited and patchy.

This presentation focuses on a pioneering research consultancy project between a music therapy team at Queen Margaret University (QMU) and the creative learning team of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO). Drawing on this project, we reflect on our research experience and explore what music therapists can offer to music and health evaluation. 

Aiming to develop an evaluation framework for SCO’s work, this collaborative project took place over three years and followed a co-designing methodology. As a music therapy research team, we sought to build on our creative resources to ‘listen well’, be responsive and creative. These resources have been fundamental to our research consultancy approach in which arts-based methods, improvisation and play are key in bridging communication between practitioners, participants, funders and diverse stakeholders.

Building on this project example, we discuss wider implications for music therapy research and explore how interdisciplinary collaboration can support the development of cohesive evaluation frameworks and promote a culture of evaluation beyond tools.

Music therapy interventions have a well-reported positive impact for people living with dementia.  What continues to be a challenge is the lack of quantitative research evidence that can influence strategists and funders in this field.  The MusiCare  study provides rigorous evidence that can be used to build best-practice models across diverse settings for this population.

MHA has a proud history of research in its fields of interest, including investigating the benefits of music therapy for people living with dementia.

MusiCare is the third and largest mixed-method RCT conducted by the MHA Music Therapy service in the past decade [1 & 2], exploring how music therapy can enhance cognitive function and emotional well-being for people living with dementia, while also improving person- and relationship-centred practices for those who support them and their wider circle of care. MusiCare extends the scope of the previous research studies to identify the best models for music therapy delivery across different populations within the older age community, providing replicable models for best practice in this setting.

This presentation will show that iterative evaluation across several research projects, and a readiness to challenge ourselves and our practice, leads to effective approaches grounded in evidence-based models and best practice.  

It will demonstrate the benefits of whole-organisation involvement in research to: encourage service-user engagement and empowerment; increase understanding of the benefits of music therapy across non-music therapist colleagues; and development of music therapist clinical practice and best outcomes.

References

1. Hsu, M. H., Flowerdew, R., Parker, M., Fachner, J. & Odell‑Miller, H. (2015) ‘Individual music therapy for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms for people with dementia and their carers: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study’, BMC Geriatrics, 15, p. 84.  

2. Mangiacotti, A.M.A., Hsu, M.H., Barone, C., Van Puyvelde, M., Zandonà, A., Gabai, G., Biasutti, M. & Franco, F. (2024) ‘Effects of one-to-one music therapy in older adults with cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial’, Psychology and Aging, 39(8), pp. 960–982. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000861.

3. Mangiacotti, A., Ward, E.V., Williams, S., Barone, C., Ataye, K., Asue, M.L., Behram, A., Hsu, M.H., Lovato, E., Zandonà, A. and Franco, F. (2026) ‘A randomized controlled trial comparison of three music therapy formats on cognitive function and psychological well-being in normal aging’, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences

and Social Sciences, 81(6), gbag070. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbag070.

Music therapy captures subtle, often deeply personal experiences that can be difficult to quantify - but evidencing impact is an essential part of a music therapist’s role. How can we translate what happens in a session into meaningful evidence for funding applications without compromising ethical standards?

This roundtable discussion will provide an interactive space for music therapists, researchers, and administrators to explore the ethical and practical complexities of collecting feedback from clients, families, and staff. We will examine challenges such as maintaining sensitivity to client needs, addressing bias in self-reported feedback, and balancing the pressure for “positive” outcomes with authentic representation.

Participants will engage collaboratively to consider how service funding requirements can inadvertently over-represent families not experiencing additional adversities - such as language barriers, safeguarding involvement, or complex social needs - risking the de-prioritisation of those most in need. Together, we will discuss applying an intersectional lens to ensure feedback reflects the full spectrum of client experiences rather than only straightforward, “glowing” narratives.

The session will also explore strategies for ethically gathering feedback, including informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymisation, and creative arts-based approaches that authentically capture client perspectives while providing meaningful evidence for funders.

By the end of the discussion, participants will have shared experiences, reflected on challenges, and developed practical frameworks for collecting feedback that is ethically sound, inclusive, and representative, supporting impact reporting while upholding equity and integrity in music therapy practice.

In this talk, Professor Kat McFerran will outline key considerations for UK Music Therapy and how the profession may be shaped by challenges and opportunities over the next 5-10 years.  She will reflect on how to balance both critical and optimistic perspectives in order to resist cynicism and bring hope for our profession and the clients who benefit from Music Therapy, . Using recent experiences in Australia as an example, she will describe how the Australian Music Therapy community were galvanised in responding to significant changes proposed to the funding of Music Therapy within the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The combined efforts of the professional association, membership and university-based researchers enabled a mostly positive outcome for participants in the scheme who have been avid consumers of our services. Whilst this was positive, Music Therapists can justifiably tire of responding to the constantly changing external conditions that both challenge and support our profession. It is no longer a question of more research evidence, but a demand for evidence of all types plus consumer advocacy. This is a timely conversation for the British community, led by an international leader and inspiring speaker.

Despite the extensive amount of literature published about music therapy with Autistic people, there has been very little inclusion of the voices of Autistic people themselves (Low et al. 2022; Young 2020). A small number of Autistic music therapists have written about music therapy theory and practice from their own lived experience perspectives (Leza 2020; Davies 2022).

My PhD research involves exploring the application of a neurodiversity paradigm perspective to music therapy practice with Autistic people, often known as a neurodiversity-affirmative approach (Davies 2022). The neurodiversity paradigm views autism as a natural and normal aspect of human diversity, which should be respected and accommodated.  My research uses heuristic inquiry (Moustakas 1990), through an anti-oppressive lens which requires a constant examination of power dynamics and privilege and a commitment to social justice, in order to centre the lived experience of Autistic people, including my own as an Autistic music therapist.

This presentation will draw on the results of a systematic literature review of the music therapy and autism literature (2018-2023), an online survey consulting the Autistic community about music therapy, and a focus group of Autistic music therapists discussing their music therapy practice with Autistic people. There will be a particular focus on topics around Autistic communication, sensory needs, aims and goals in therapy, the therapeutic relationship and perspectives on Autistic identity and intersectionality.  By involving Autistic people in research, we can gain a better understanding of their needs and preferences and how they would prefer to be engaged with therapeutically.

References

Davies, H. (2022) ‘“Autism is a way of being”: An “insider perspective” on neurodiversity, music therapy and social justice’, British Journal of Music Therapy, 36(1), pp. 16–26. 

Leza, J. (2020) ‘Neuroqueering music therapy: Observations on the current state of neurodiversity in music therapy practice.’, in D. Milton (ed.) The Neurodiversity Reader. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 210–225.

Low, M.Y., McFerran, K.S., Viega, M., Carroll-Scott, A., McGhee Hassrick, E. and Bradt, J., 2023. Exploring the lived experiences of young autistic adults in Nordoff-Robbins music therapy: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Nordic journal of music therapy, 32(4), pp.341-364.

Moustakas, C. (1990) Heuristic Research: Design, Methodology and Applications. New York: Sage

Young, L. (2020) ‘Finding Our Voices, Singing Our Truths: Examining How Quality of Life Domains Manifested in a Singing Group for Autistic Adults’, Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 20(2)

Despite the central role of the therapeutic relationship in Music Therapy, the concept of power dynamics remains an under-examined phenomenon. Existing literature often focuses on one protected characteristic at a time, offering only limited insight into how intersectional power is navigated, shared, or contested in contemporary practice.

This presentation shares the preliminary findings from the first stage of a qualitative doctoral inquiry. Through a questionnaire distributed to music therapists across the UK, it explores how music therapists define power, seeking to move beyond theory to examine how power is actually felt, held or reclaimed during clinical encounters.

The data reveals that:

1. There is a felt imbalance within the therapeutic relationship;

2. This can change over time, within a dynamic, self-aware music therapy relationship, but;

3. Music therapists seem ambivalent about their own identity and place within the therapeutic relationship, struggling with their own authority, privilege and power, and;

4. There is arguably not enough consideration of the client experience to help effect change.

The findings challenge the notion of a neutral therapeutic space, highlighting a gap between a stated call for equality within the therapeutic relationship and the reality of professional authority.

By mapping where power exists and how it fluctuates, this study offers new considerations for clinical reflexivity. Understanding these dynamics is essential for ensuring service user autonomy and addressing the potential for systemic harm. This presentation invites practitioners to reconsider their own relationship with power to foster more equitable and transparent therapeutic outcomes. 

References

Fent, J. (2024) »Generationen« von machtkritischen Theorien in der Musiktherapie – eine Literaturübersicht (»Generations« of theories critiquing power in music therapy – a literature review). Musiktherapeutische Umschau 45(1). https://doi.org/10.13109/muum.2024.45.1.71

As Music Therapy has developed as a profession, the importance of promotion and advocacy has been strongly emphasised as a means of establishing our work within healthcare systems. In a changing professional and policy landscape, this presentation invites a pause to reflect on how advocacy is serving us as we seek to create and sustain new roles within complex healthcare settings.

This presentation draws on the results of a survey which mapped music therapy services with families and infants under the age of one in hospital contexts. Including the perceptions of 22 music therapists on their understanding and integration of MT into healthcare teams. The presentation will feature concepts of professional and interprofessional identity and recognition to consider how we communicate our practice, how this communication may be received, and what may be emerging at the intersections between music therapy and wider healthcare cultures.

In keeping with the conference’s invitation to reimagine practice in an evolving world, the presentation reflects on how we might continue to adapt within healthcare systems that are historically rooted in Eurocentric frameworks, in a way that will address persistent health inequities. Areas for growth and innovation are proposed, with a focus on collaboration, openness, and strengthening the relational threads that support sustainable and equitable Music Therapy practice.

The presentation concludes by opening space for dialogue, inviting participants to share their own experiences, questions, and emerging practices, and to collectively reflect on how we might move forward together.

In autumn 2025, Music Therapy Works was invited to undertake a 3-month pilot on the NICU at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.  Although this was in some respects a natural expansion of our existing paediatric palliative work at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, it also represented a new departure for our therapists in terms of both clinical skillset and working practices.  Additionally, we were aware of the need to navigate a range of stakeholder perspectives and varied perceptions of what music therapy might - or might not - be able offer in this environment, as we sought to establish a presence of genuine benefit to babies, families and the staff caring for them.  Through presenting illustrative case studies, we will share some of the specific techniques we found ourselves gravitating towards, including use of known songs, responsive improvisation and bespoke lullaby-writing.  Sharing direct feedback from our AHP colleagues, nursing staff, and parents will enable us to explore the impact of this work on the unit – which one senior nurse described as a “change of culture”.  Looking beyond the immediate landscape of this particular unit, we consider what learning we might glean from this pilot to add to the developing national picture of NICU music therapy, including discussing funding implications.  

References

1) Jane, K. et al (2025) 'Supporting continuing bonds for parents with infants with uncertain futures on neonatal units in the United Kingdom: co-designing a culturally sensitive music therapy intervention' Frontiers

2) Kammin, V. and Russell, J. (eds) (2025) 'Music Therapy in Children's Palliative Care - Collaborative Family and Practitioner Voices' Routledge

3) Kammin, v> et al (2024) 'Experiences of music therapy in paediatric palliative care from multiple stakeholder perspectives: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis' Palliative Medicine

Music Therapists have investigated the use of the video camera as a performance tool (Derrington, 2012, 2016, 2019), the video camera has been referenced as a tool that invites parental and professional observation and collaboration within the Music Therapy process (Bruce and High, 2012; Davies ), and Music Therapists have demonstrated how using video extracts can strengthen support of Music Therapy from educational professionals. This presentation hopes to look through a triadic lens of Music Therapist, Teacher, and Teaching Assistant to examine how a young person’s choice to use extracts of video recording as a performance tool impacted the therapeutic relationship and the Music Therapy process. Considering how our evolving use of technology is opening up wider possibilities, I would like to co-present with a case study of multiple perspectives of how it was to support a young person in a Residential Therapeutic school through their Music Therapy progress, and explore how in turn this young person’s use of the video camera may have strengthened staff understanding and support of the Music Therapy process, and consequently strengthened my ability to support the young person. The focus of the presentation will be on the supporting Teacher and Teaching Assistant’s perspective. 

Outline of Presentation: Case Study: Introduction and Overview - Music Therapist’s Thoughts and Reflections - Recording Example - Teacher’s Reflections on the Process - Teaching Assistant’s reflections on the Process - Towards a more collaborative future for Music Therapy in Schools: what might this look like? 

References

Arns, B., and Thompson, G. A. (2019)  ‘Music therapy teaming and learning: How transdisciplinary  experience shapes practice in a specialist school for students with autism.’ Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 30, 31-52. Available at: https://www.austmta.org.au/journal/article/music-therapy-teaming-and-learning-how- transdisciplinary-experience-shapes-practice. (Accessed: 16 September 2026).

Austin, D. (2002) 'The Wounded Healer: The Voice of Trauma: A Wounded Healer's

Perspective', in J. Sutton (ed.) Music, Music Therapy and Trauma. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd, pp. 231-159.

Bruce, A. and High, S. (2012) ‘Multiple Views of Music Therapy’ in Tomlinson, Jo., Derrington, Philippa. And Oldfield, Amelia. (Des) Music Therapy in Schools. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 61-74.

Davies, E. And Rosscornes, C. (2012) ‘Setting Up and Developing Music Therapy at a Children’s Centre, for Pre-school Children and their Families and Carers’ in Tomlinson, J., Derrington, O. And Oldfield, A. (Eds) Music Therapy in Schools, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 19-32.

De Backer, J. (1993) ‘Containment in music therapy’ in T. Wigram and M. Heal (eds) Music Therapy in Health and Education. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Derrington, P. (2012) ‘“Yeah, I’ll Do Music!” Working with Secondary-aged Students who have Complex Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties’ in Tomlinson, J., Derrington, O. And Oldfield, A. (Eds) Music Therapy in Schools, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 195-211.

Derrington, P. (2019) ‘’What’s the Wifi code in here?: Connecting with adolescents in music therapy’ in McFerran, K., Derrington, P. & Saarakallio, S. (Eds) Handbook of Music, Adolescents, and Wellbeing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp.165-174.

Dos Santos, A. (2025) ’Foreword’ pp. v-viii in Krüger, V., Murphy, Kathleen M. (Ed) Child-Centred Music Therapy: Integrating Best Interest of the child into Theory, Research, and Practice. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gerhardt, S. (2015) Why Love Matters. Second edition. East Sussex: Routledge.

Gillespie, M. (2026). ’Cultivating Collaborative Partnerships in Schools’ in McCord, K. A., Colwell, C. And VanderLinde, D. (Eds) The Oxford Handbook of Special Music Education and Music Therapy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.366-394

Gravestock, J. (2021) Music Therapy in Adoption and Trauma. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.

Hoi Yan Fu, J. (2023). ‘Finding One’s Voice: Working Through Developmental Trauma with Vocal Psychotherapy’ In Beer, L. E and Birnbaum, J. C. (eds) Trauma-Informed Music Therapy: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. pp.113-121

Jonassen, K. H. (2021) ‘Music Technology Tools - A Therapist-in-a-box? Human Computer Interaction and the Co-Creation of Mental Health’ Voices, 21(2).

Kirkland, K. and Nesbitt, S. (2019) ‘The Therapeutic Value of Recording in Music Therapy for Adult Clients in a Concurrent Disorders Inpatient Treatment Facility’, Voices, 19(2), pp. 1-22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i2.2636. (Accessed 16 September 2026).

Loewy, J. (2023) “I Hear You”: The Potency of Play in Music Psychotherapy for Treating Trauma in Musicians’ in Beer, L. E and Birnbaum, J. C. (eds) Trauma-Informed Music Therapy: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. pp.131-141.

Metell, M. (2025) ’Music Therapy in Educational and Cultural Contexts’, pp. 93-112 in Krüger, V., Murphy, Kathleen M. (Ed) Child-Centred Music Therapy: Integrating Best Interest of the child into Theory, Research, and Practice. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Mc Tier, I. (2012) ‘Music Therapy in a Special School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Focusing Particularly on the Use of the Double Bass.’ In Tomlinson, J., Derrington, O. And Oldfield, A. (Eds) Music Therapy in Schools, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 151-164.

Rothschild, B. (2000) The Body Remembers. NY: W. W. Norton & Company Inc.

Stewart, R. W. and Stewart, D. (2002) 'Ireland: See me, Hear me, Play with me: Working with the Trauma of Early Abandonment and Deprivation in Psychodynamic Music Therapy', in J. Sutton (ed.) Music, Music Therapy and Trauma. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 133-152.

Sutton, J. (2002) Music, Music Therapy and Trauma. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.

Tomlinson, J. (2020) ‘Music therapist collaboration with teaching assistants for facilitating verbal and vocal development in young children with special needs: A mixed methods study’. British Journal of Music Therapy. 34 (2) 95-107. DOI: 10.1177/1359457520971815. (Accessed: 15 September 2026).

Verrier, N. (2009) The Primal Wound. UK Edition. London: CoramBAAF.

Van der Kolk, B. (2014) The Body Keeps the Score, UK, Penguin Books. 

Collaborative music therapy consultation is described as a unique practice (Rickson, 2012) in which sustainable outcomes are strengthened where the primary focus is practitioners’ professional needs (Steele et al., 2020; Tarr & Clough, 2022). Developed through multiple research studies, the Safe&Sound music therapy consultation programme has evolved to support SEND classroom practitioners in schools to optimise relationships with hard-to-reach pupils through attuned musical interaction and play (Margetts, 2024, 2022). In the Safe&Sound Phase 2 research project, five music therapists received training and support to work alongside classroom practitioner colleagues to explore and evaluate their experiences of the programme in their workplaces.

The roundtable brings together the researcher, two music therapists and one classroom practitioner to share stories and unique perspectives on the positive outcomes and challenges of participation in the research. The discussion will focus on ways in which a structured, taught programme such as Safe&Sound can provide a practical framework through which therapists can function as consultants and provide another layer of music therapy service with sustainable benefits for therapists, classroom practitioners and pupils that generalise into the classroom in a benign cycle. This potentially moves music therapy closer to the kind of integrated specialist support that policymakers increasingly wish to see in schools.

Audience members will be given access to further information and there will be opportunity to join the discussion, with the aim of opening up broader engagement with the topic. With permission, these contributions will be recorded and participants will be consulted as to future use.

References

Margetts, L. (2024). Safe and Sound: A mixed methods study to explore relationships 

 between special education classroom practitioners and autistic students through music 

 therapy consultation, Approaches: An interdisciplinary journal for music therapy.

Margetts, L. (2022). Intercultural music therapy consultation research. Shared humanity in 

 collaborative theory and practice. London & New York. Routledge.

Rickson, D. J. (2012). Music therapy school consultation: A unique practice, Nordic Journal 

 of Music Therapy, 21(3), 268-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2012.654474

Steele, M., Crooke, A. H. D., & Skewes McFerran, K. (2020). What about the teacher?

 Synthesis on literature describing music therapist teacher support programmes. Voices:

 A World Forum for Music Therapy, 20(1). 

Tarr, J. & Clough, N. (2022). Addressing Issues of Mental Health in Schools through the Arts: 

 Teachers and Music Therapists Working Together. London & New York. Routledge.

Parent-Infant Mental Health Services with a focus on early intervention and prevention are growing across the UK. This presentation explores how Music Therapy within an NHS parent-infant service can amplify the infant's voice and perspective. 

Drawing on psychoanalytic parent-infant psychotherapy, communicative musicality and contemporary developmental research, we can examine how infants express affective states and how parents can be supported to respond sensitively, co-regulate and meet their infant's needs and relational expectations. Infants use vocalisation, gesture, rhythm and gaze and the Music Therapist can draw on these to enhance the parent-infant relationship and allow the infant voice to be heard within multidisciplinary teams. 

Using anonymised vignettes, the presentation illustrates how Music Therapy can support parents to hear and respond to their infant's emerging voice, particularly within a context of trauma, anxiety or disrupted caregiving. We will also consider the systemic challenges of hearing the infant's voice, how risk frameworks may overlook subtle relational communication and how we, as Music Therapists, can advocate for infant-centred practice. 

By focusing on the infant as an active relational partner within the dyad, Music Therapy can offer a unique contribution to the evolving landscape of UK perinatal and infant mental health services. We will reflect on how musical attunement, co-regulation and shared vocal play can strengthen multidisciplinary understanding and enhance the emotional wellbeing of both infants and parents. 

References

Edwards, J. (2011): Music Therapy and Parent-Infant Bonding (Oxford University Press); 

Trevarthen, C. & Malloch, S. (2000): "The Dance of Wellbeing: Re-awakening the Human Spirit", Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 26(1), 3-22;

Parent-Infant Foundation (2025): "Who is Holding the Baby? A report on the provision of specialist parent-infant relationship teams across the UK. 

In Music Therapy, collecting authentic feedback from young children—particularly those who are non-verbal—presents a significant challenge. Traditionally, feedback is gathered from parents, asking what they believe their child enjoyed about the sessions. Whilst valuable, this approach risks filtering the child’s experience through another perspective. This project aimed to explore whether music itself could serve as a medium for children to express their views, enabling their voices to be heard directly.

At Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, many children attending music therapy are non-verbal, making conventional feedback methods unsuitable. To address this, we developed a simple goodbye song, introduced at the end of each group session, which created a structured yet playful space for children to indicate what they enjoyed. The song incorporated musical prompts and opportunities for choice, allowing both verbal and non-verbal children to participate meaningfully.

This approach was trialled over six weeks with a group of young children and their parents. The results were overwhelmingly positive: children engaged actively, demonstrated clear preferences, and parents reported that the process felt inclusive and empowering. Findings suggest that integrating feedback mechanisms into therapeutic music-making can enhance participation, provide richer insights into children’s experiences, and support a more child-centred approach to outcome measurement.

References

Rebecca Fairchild & Katrina Skewes McFerran (2019) “Music is everything”:

Using collaborative group songwriting as an arts-based method with children experiencing

homelessness and family violence, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 28:2, 88-107, DOI: 10.1080/08098131.2018.1509106

Lundy, L., McEvoy, L., & Byrne, B. (2011). Working With young children as co-researchers: An approach informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Early Education and Development, 22(5), pp. 714-736.

In April 2025, Ealing Music Therapy launched its first Saturday Community Service in response to significant funding cuts and increasing restrictions in UK mainstream schools. These changes led to the sudden withdrawal of established music therapy, leaving many children and young people unable to access services they had previously relied on in educational settings. As a charitable organisation, Ealing Music Therapy needed to reassess the financial landscape and develop alternative provision models not dependent on school-based funding.

This development occurs within a wider context of growing need in the borough, where recent Ealing Area SEND evaluation data show a rising proportion of pupils with SEND, with particularly significant increases in Communication and Interaction Needs, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Local census and strategic needs assessment data indicate that while 850–1,000 pupils in the borough could benefit from music therapy, only a small proportion currently access it, revealing a substantial gap between demand and availability.

This oral presentation outlines the rationale, development, and implementation of the Saturday Community Service, a model enabling families to access music therapy directly, independent of educational provision. It examines organisational processes, practical, financial, and clinical challenges, and the shift in working practices required to engage directly with families rather than institutions, highlighting new ways of thinking about accessibility and sustainability.

The model represents a significant development in the organisation’s approach and offers an alternative pathway for children and families to access music therapy at a time when traditional routes are increasingly limited.

References

Ofsted, & Care Quality Commission. (2025). Area SEND inspection report: Ealing.

Ealing Borough Council. (2018). SEN school census (January 2018).

Ealing Borough Council. (2017). Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: Autism.

Thompson, G. (2012). Family-centred music therapy in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 23, 3–21.

Welsh, G., Ockelford, A., Zimmermann, S., Simonides, E., & Wilde, E. (2015). The provision of music in special education (PROMISE) report.

The State University of New York considers itself a pioneer of the Collaborative Online International Learning virtual exchange model. This model is designed to empower professors, students, and institutions to engage in high impact teaching and learning. COIL brings students and professors together across cultures to learn, discuss, and collaborate as part of their class. Professors from universities in different countries partner to design the experience, and students work with their international partners to complete the activities designed. COIL becomes part of the class, enabling all students to have a significant intercultural experience within their course of study. 

In this workshop we will share our experiences as professors who designed and implemented a COIL project during the Spring 2026 semester in which students from the University of Bergen, Bergen Norway and the State University of New York, New Paltz (USA) worked in small groups to write a song with musical influences from each country.  We will share the training that was provided by the State University of New York, COIL Center, the online tools we used in designing the course shell and how we structured the course. The highlights and challenges associated with implementing this COIL project will be discussed.  We will be joined by 1 student group (3 students) who will share their perspectives and the songs they created working across time zones and very different schedules.  There will be time for questions and discussions. 

In the spirit of BAMT 2026, to “navigate challenges, spark innovation, and discover new possibilities in this evolving world”, three key educators, all authors as well as editors on music therapy on music therapy education and training, come together to compare the challenges in training music therapists in an ever changing world fraught with politics, changing economics, varying theoretical perspectives and US/UK guidelines for music therapy education.  

Both the United States and the United Kingdom are historic partners in music therapy education. While the US has continued with Bachelors level entry to music therapy clinical practice, recommends but does not require professional supervision, accredits competency based programs and encourages music therapists to take a board certification exam based on current clinical practice, the UK system offers Masters level entry, requires supervision post qualification and provides recently launched guidelines for educational programmes. What can these three colleagues learn from each other in considering music therapy education and training? 

In this 60 minute roundtable, each participant will take time to present a summary of educational practices identifying pertinent issues. Following this, there will be questions and discussion to further the conversation and explore themes, with the aim to set an agenda for future consideration. Online chat questions will be integrated into the discussion. This will be of interest to practitioners, trainees, trainers and supervisors. 

References

AMTA (2005) American Music Therapy Association Advanced Competencies https://www.musictherapy.org/members/advancedcomp/  

BAMT (2025) Curriculum Guidance for the Pre-Registration Education and Training of Music Therapists 

https://www.bamt.org/content/104005/Live/document/BAMTMusicTherapycurriculumguidancefinal-July2025.pdf 

Goodman, K. (2011) Music Therapy Education and Training: From Theory to Practice, Charles C Thomas Ltd. 

UK Health and Care Professions Council (2023) Standards of Proficiency Arts Therapists 

https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-proficiency/arts-therapists/ (accessed 05/02/2026) 

Watson, T., and Warner, C. (2025) Contemporary Issues in Music Therapy Training. A Resource for Trainees, Trainers and Practitioners, Routledge. 

This poster presentation will tell the story of our Nurturing Notes music therapy groups, which we created to offer support to families upon discharge from the neonatal unit (NICU). We will share the reasons for setting up the groups, the perspectives of the families who attend them, the nature of the groups and our clinical thinking around the work. 

Around 90,000 babies per year will spend time in the NICU in the UK. [1] The impact of this on infants and their families varies. It was clear in our work as music therapists at the children’s disability charity CPotential, that the needs of many NICU graduates and their families were high and there were limited specialist services available at the early stages of their children’s lives.[2]

This is an emerging area of music therapy practice, representing a client group who currently receive limited support and who often face lifelong challenges due to the impact of their early experiences. We hope that this presentation will be useful for therapists working with this specific client group and also for those working in paediatrics, early years, perinatal services, young people and families and in community group settings. 

This will be presently jointly by Ruth Hunston and Jessica Grieve, music therapists at CPotential. 

References

[1] https://www.bliss.org.uk/research-campaigns/neonatal-care-statistics/statistics-about-neonatal-care 

[2] https://www.infantjournal.co.uk/pdf/inf_105_7296.pdf

The children in our school who need therapy the most are the ones least able to access therapy'. Following a brief discussion on the context and background of the largest SEMH school in the UK by Vice Principal John Gillard, the school's new Music Therapist Henry Bateman will explore the implementation of Creative Music Therapy in this setting. Specifically, Henry will explore how, working within the Nordoff-Robbins approach, he has been able to design a flexible service, one which takes an understanding of the children's needs and adapts accordingly.

References

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258.

Perry, B. D., & Dobson, C. L. (2013). The neurosequential model of therapeutics. In J. D. Ford & C. A. Courtois (Eds.), Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in children and adolescents: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models (pp. 249–260). The Guilford Press.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

We are music and drama therapists who co-facilitate sessions, focusing on embodied, relational and interpersonal practices of participation (Grace et al., 2024). Interdisciplinary work (Oldfield & Carr, 2018) offers opportunities to explore the embodied process of fostering shared understanding as we engage in spontaneous, improvised, and multimodal interactions with children and young people and with each other. We offer a critical reflection on the perspectives and creative possibilities afforded by multimodal practices and art forms (Stern, 2010), particularly drawing on conceptions of intersubjectivity and interpersonal communication (Trevarthen & Malloch, 2000). We examine the embodied dialogue we engage in as we work alongside each other, and include the perspectives and experiences of children, young people and families (Devlin et al., 2024) in our reflections. 

We discuss themes of our interdisciplinary work: 

1. Engaging consciously with multiple perspectives 

2. Using multimodal and embodied therapeutic practices to offer inclusive, accessible and affirming forms of participation, communication and interaction 

3. The centrality of embodiment and embodied processes in interdisciplinary practice 

4. The value of multimodality in embodied creative expression to support co-production and collaboration with children and young people. 

We conclude that engaging in interdisciplinary work has deepened our understanding of embodied practices. We highlight how collaborative approaches can support co-production with children, young people, and families. Additionally, we suggest that interdisciplinary work can strengthen practitioners’ theoretical understanding through engagement with different applications of theory, creating opportunities for joint understanding and encouraging engagement with diverse perspectives within school communities. 

This presentation examines a longitudinal relational journey that commenced with community music practice in 2016 at Venturers’ Academy and later integrated formal music therapy training from 2019. It explores how sustained musical engagement supported the development of identity, confidence, and a sense of belonging for Lakhile, an autistic young person who was non-verbal in early childhood and initially had little awareness of his own musical capacities. Lakhile (now 18) and his mother have both given informed consent for his real name, music, and video to be shared.

Community music-making — encompassing piano, guitar, voice, songwriting, and music production — provided a shared exploratory environment in which agency, competence, and self-belief gradually developed. Rather than representing a distinct transition, Master’s training in Music Therapy enhanced my ability to recognise how attunement, continuity, and relational safety were already facilitating developmental change within the community context.

A pivotal moment arose when Lakhile was encouraged to play piano in church, fostering greater recognition and belonging within his faith and the Swazi community. This process culminated in the co-production of an 11-track gospel album shortly before he left school, officially launched at his eighteenth birthday celebration — a collective event characterised by spontaneous singing, shared joy, and communal affirmation.

Drawing on community music therapy (Ansdell & Pavlicevic; Stige), DeNora’s scholarship on music in everyday life, and the theoretical perspectives of Fanon and DeGruy, I conceptualise music as a context in which dignity, visibility, and cultural belonging are negotiated and restored within community life.

Using consented audio and video excerpts, this presentation invites critical reflection on boundaries, practitioner identity, the ethics of sustained engagement, and the porous boundary between community music and therapeutic practice.

References

Ansdell, G., & Pavlicevic, M. (2004). Community music therapy: International perspectives. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

DeGruy, J. (2005). Post traumatic slave syndrome: America’s legacy of enduring injury and healing. Joy DeGruy Publications.

DeNora, T. (2000). Music in everyday life. Cambridge University Press.

Fanon, F. (1952/1967). Black skin, white masks (C. L. Markmann, Trans.). Grove Press. (Original work published 1952)

Stige, B. (2002). Culture-centered music therapy: A socially responsible approach to practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Hospital environments can be disorienting, isolating, and overwhelming for children and young people. When developmental and psychosocial outcomes are at risk due to invasive treatment or prolonged hospitalisation, music therapy provides a pathway to connection, choice, and agency. But in today’s world of ever-present screens, and competing distractions, a child or young person’s interest and engagement are increasingly hard won.

Drawing on over a decade of clinical experience in paediatric hospital settings - including (at the time of writing) 978 first meetings with children and young people - this presentation explores how to initiate the therapeutic relationship and cultivate two interrelated connections:

1. The relationship between therapist and child or young person

2. The relationship the child or young person has with their music

Participants will explore practical strategies to “get in the room”: quickly and sensitively assessing musical interests and disinterests, co-creating shared goals, and supporting choice, agency, and boundary-setting. Emphasis will be placed on the therapist’s stance, including maintaining curiosity, attunement, and emotional resilience in high-intensity medical contexts.

Through reflective discussion, clinical examples, and interactive prompts, participants will leave with practical strategies to establish trust, foster choice, and support children and young people’s engagement in music therapy from the very first session.

References

Darrow, A. A., & Johnson, P. L. (2004). The role of music therapy in the treatment of pediatric trauma. Pediatric Nursing, 30(2), 144-151.

Gold, C., Wigram, T., & Elefant, C. (2006). Music therapy in pediatric pain management. Pain Management Nursing, 7(2), 70-79.

Wood, C. (2010). Trauma-informed care: An introduction to its relevance for hospitalized children. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma,

3(1), 21-31.

Lynch, C. R., & Simpson, R. S. (2015). The impact of music therapy on hospitalized children: A systematic review. Journal of Music Therapy,

52(1), 105-124. 

DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) was created by Dan Hughes, Clinical Psychologist for families with adopted or fostered children who have suffered from significant developmental trauma. DDP is based on and brings together attachment theory, what we understand about developmental trauma, the neurobiology of trauma, attachment and caregiving, intersubjectivity theory and child development. As an approach it aims to facilitate healthy patterns of relating between the child and parent/carer, helping them to feel safe and emotionally connected. Difficult themes are woven into conversation, and both adult and child work together to create an emotionally coherent narrative. 

Music therapy in this field has been well documented, with a growing evidence base, much like DDP. Both of these approaches are separate clinical recommendations for the current ASGSF (Adoption Special Guardianship Support Fund), however the idea of combining these approaches is relatively new and in this changing landscape of our profession, combining therapeutic approaches is growing in popularity due to the positive outcomes for families. 

Two themes being explored in a newly formed DDP Special Interest Group (SIG) for Creative therapists will form the foundation of my explorative presentation; ‘How do we integrate the two approaches without losing the creative child-led approach to music therapy? When does music deepen the affect or act as a distraction when working with families and trauma?’

To facilitate this exploration, I will use a single case study with video extracts of an 8 year old girl and her adoptive father. This will approach with curiosity how the gentle weaving of music therapy and DDP as a combined approach can create, through storytelling and coming alongside, a more manageable narrative for her around her birth. Using DDP approaches, joined with the regulating, rhythmic and predictable musical structures, how it can facilitate a space for her to explore her identity. In addition, using PACE, role play what it could have been like if her adoptive father was there when she was born, therefore creating a more meaningful and trusting relationship with her parents.  

This presentation explores the role of long-term music therapy for individuals living with the enduring effects of acquired brain injury (ABI). While rehabilitation services often prioritise measurable functional gains, many people continue to face cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social challenges long after formal rehabilitation has ended. In these contexts, the value of therapy cannot be understood solely through observable change.

Drawing on clinical practice, the presentation examines how music therapy can support emotional regulation, identity reconstruction, social connection, quality of life, and the maintenance of functional skills over time. As rehabilitation progresses, therapeutic goals often shift from recovery towards adaptation, participation, and meaning-making, requiring a broader understanding of therapeutic progress.

The session also considers the management of hope and expectations in long-term work, exploring how therapists can balance realistic optimism with the realities of ongoing disability.

Ultimately, this presentation argues that long-term music therapy can remain clinically meaningful and ethically important, offering sustained therapeutic value beyond measurable rehabilitation outcomes.

References

Music Therapy and Neurologica Rehabilitation - Aldridge, D. 

Severe and Profound Brain Injury - Soeterik, S; Connoly, S.; Crawford, S. 

Music Therapy, Initimate Notes. Pavlicevic, M. 

Handobook of Neurologic Music Therapy. Thaut & Hoemberg

Music Therapy Methods in Neurorehabiltation. Baker, F. Tamplin, J. 

Have you ever publicly shared a story, image, or video from your music therapy work? Did it play on your mind long after? Did you not think much of it?

In order to increase awareness of, grow funds for, and develop greater access to music therapy services, many practitioners, organisations, and beneficiaries of music therapy publicly share music therapy content. This is increasingly done through social media (Sæle & Gilbertson, 2024). However, there is informally some division of opinion as to if, who, what, and how music therapy work should be shared publicly and limited reflection in the formal professional discourse as to the considerations involved. 

This participatory session offers an opportunity for music therapists to engage with and reflect on the practice of publicly sharing music therapy session content. The session will be facilitated by two practitioners with converging and diverging approaches to many aspects of music therapy, who are motivated to explore their experiences of dilemma and discomfort in the sharing of music therapy work. We anticipate a rich dialogue between facilitators and session attendees, considering the factors of consent, financial pressure, professional identity, ownership, boundaries, authenticity, vulnerability and power in this aspect of practice. Delegates can expect to respond to case stories, share their experiences, and develop a stronger sense of the complexities surrounding this aspect of practice.

 Supervision is essential for therapists to deepen their professional insight into clinical practice. Sustained experiences of supervision are beneficial for therapists to continue developing after training. Furthermore, to become a supervisor, not only extensive clinical experiences but also one's own sustained experiences of supervision are important.

 Online supervision is now globally accessible. The author is one who has benefited from this. The author, having trained as a music therapist in the UK 25 years ago, faced a choice upon returning to Japan: either finding a Japanese supervisor or starting online supervision with a UK supervisor. However, locating a supervisor in Japan proved challenging due to the scarcity of qualified individuals and differences in theoretical training backgrounds. This predicament is likely to be a challenge faced by other nonresident UK therapists trained in the UK when they return to their home countries outside the UK. 

 The author shares her experiences of learning from other supervision disciplines in Japan, such as art therapy supervision, learning alongside Japanese colleagues in related fields, for example, a clinical psychotherapy group, working alongside art therapists, and most importantly improvisational music making. While sharing her personal intercultural journey, the discussion explores what proved useful and how this differs from supervision provided by individual music therapists, examining the value of using art and music, and how these experiences proved necessary when she became a supervisor herself.

  This may contribute to future explorations within the field of supervision.

References

1)    Estrella, K. (2001) ‘Multicultural Approaches to Music Therapy Supervision.’ Barcelona Publishers. Forinash, M. Music Therapy Supervision,　Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

2)    John, D. (2009) ‘Getting Better: Some thoughts on the Growth of the Therapist.’ Chapter 5, Odell-Miller, H and Richards, E. Supervision of Music Therapy‐A Theoretical Practical Handbook. London, Routledge.

3)    Streeter, E. (2015) ‘Post-Training Clinical Supervision: The Journey Continues.’ Chapter 12, Goodman, K, D.(eds), International perspective in Music Therapy Education and Training., U.S.A., Charles C Thomas.

4)    Sutton, J. (2025) ‘At the Still Point.’ Chapter 14, Jessica Kingsley Pyblishers. Warner, C. and Sloboda, A., Music Therapy Supervision‐Diverse Perspectives on its Cultures and Practices. London, JKL.

"

Pasifika frameworks and perspectives remain underrepresented and under-researched within music therapy, despite the evolving landscapes in which music therapists are called to work. This presentation highlights the ongoing evolution of my Pasifika-informed music therapy practice, from master’s research to clinical work in disability and mental health contexts in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

My research explored how Pasifika wellbeing approaches, particularly the concept of ‘le vā’ (the sacred relational space), could be meaningfully woven into music therapy within a learning support setting. Engaging with these frameworks shifted my understanding of therapeutic relationships from being primarily individual or outcome-driven toward a relational process that is contextual, ethically held, and continuously nurtured within the relational space. Navigation of my dual positionality as a clinical practitioner and Samoan woman was integral to this research, highlighting how cultural and professional identities intersect and shape practice.

In my evolving clinical practice, I weave Pasifika and Indigenous knowledge through ritual, song, storytelling, dance, and visual art into sessions, attending to the dissonances and harmonious learnings that emerge at the intersection of Western-informed perspectives and Pasifika worldviews. These moments are embraced as spaces for reflexivity, adaptation, and relational growth within my practice.

By sharing these reflections and creative methods, this presentation invites exploration of what it means to practise music therapy as a culturally evolving practitioner. It advocates for music therapy approaches that honour Pasifika and Indigenous knowledge not as an adjunct, but as a living, guiding presence within the evolving landscapes of music therapy practice, offering insights for culturally responsive and relational approaches.

References

Ah Sam, O. (2019). Exploring healing in musical identities: A Samoan perspective. New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy, 17, 43–46.

Potifara, J. (2024). Lalagaina o manatu: Weaving Pasifika wellbeing approaches into music therapy for enhanced practice in disability learning support setting [Master’s thesis, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington]. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.27134895

Seiuli, B. M. S. (2013). Counselling psychology from a Samoan perspective. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 42(3), 44–49. https://www.psychology.org.nz/journal-archive/NZJP-Vol423-2013-8-Seiuli2.pdf

The NHS’ 10-Year Health Plan published in July 2025 outlines significant changes to future mental health services, including shifts from hospital to community care, analogue to digital delivery, and treatment to prevention. Within acute mental health contexts, prevention can be understood as preventing inpatient admissions, reducing relapse, and interrupting ‘revolving door’ patterns of hospitalisation. 

This presentation explores how a newly established group music therapy provision within an NHS Home Treatment Team (HTT) aligns with these policy shifts. HTTs provide intensive, short-term, community-based crisis intervention with the aim of preventing admission and supporting timely discharge. Within a wider programme of therapy groups, including art therapy, developed to strengthen psychological support during crisis, music therapy offers a uniquely relational and community-oriented intervention. The presentation will also consider the use of simple digital tools, including QR codes linking to a Trust-produced informational video about music therapy, as a means of improving access and understanding while maintaining the primacy of relational, in-person work. Reflections from service users and MDT colleagues will be shared to illustrate both the perceived value and challenges of embedding music therapy within a crisis service. 

The presentation will offer a transferable, practice-based model for embedding group music therapy within mental health pathways, supporting music therapists to consider how their practice might adapt in response to changing NHS priorities. 

References

Grocke, D., Bloch, S., Castle, D., Thompson, G., Newton, R., Stewart, S., & Gold, C. (2014). Group music therapy for severe mental illness: a randomized embedded-experimental mixed methods study. Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica, 130(2), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12224 

Johnson, S. (2013). Crisis resolution and home treatment teams: an evolving model. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 19(2), 115–123. doi:10.1192/apt.bp.107.004192 

Levi, J., Martinez-Ales, G., Ronaldson, A., Espallargues, M., Yadav, P., Dregan, A., Bakolis, I., Molina, A. J., Martín, V., Valderas, J. M., Alonso, J., & Arias de la Torre, J. (2025). Service users and carers experiences of accessing Home Treatment Teams (HTT) within mental health services: a scoping review. Psychiatric Services. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20240516 

NHS England. (2025). NHS 10-Year Health Plan 

The consumption of digital music is now commonplace within our technological age and increasingly demands attention within Music Therapy practice. This presentation explores the use and reliance on an app-based playlist by a severely traumatised patient, which in part functioned as a defence against emotional contact. By keeping the Music Therapist at a ‘safe enough’ distance, the patient was able to remain engaged in a long-term therapeutic process until more direct dependence on the therapeutic relationship and exploratory work became possible. Ongoing attention to countertransference in relation to the playlist as a defensive ‘wall’ enabled the music therapist to stay with and survive prolonged, deadening experiences of being shut out and not needed. Through this case example, some psychodynamic considerations are highlighted when app-based playlists are brought into the Music Therapy space.

Music therapy has long been a cornerstone of care for people living with dementia, offering connection, identity, and emotional expression. At Methodist Homes (MHA), these approaches have been refined through years of practice. I work in one of MHA’s homes supporting individuals with nursing, dementia and other enduring mental health needs.  

This presentation will explore how methods developed in dementia care settings are being adapted for wider support and care needs. I will share observations from current clinical practice, highlighting both challenges and opportunities in creating meaningful musical experiences for residents. 

Central to this process is the inclusion of client and staff voices. I will incorporate feedback gathered through reflective questions posed to residents and care staff, offering insights into how music therapy is perceived and valued within this setting. 

By examining these adaptations and perspectives, the session aims to contribute to the evolving conversation about music therapy in a constantly changing care landscape—where flexibility, creativity, and collaboration are essential for meeting diverse and emerging needs. 

Refer

In recent years, AI has become increasingly visible in everyday life and across professional settings, shaping how many people work and create (Cardillo, 2025; KPMG & University of Melbourne, 2025). In my experience, music therapists are beginning to encounter AI more often in their workplaces and training environments, yet many express uncertainty about how to approach it safely or meaningfully. Even the Submission Guidelines for this abstract were written using AI, reflecting how embedded these tools have already become.

Recent systematic review evidence shows that ethical principles such as safety, responsibility and accountability are among the least frequently addressed in AI development and deployment, highlighting a gap between ethical awareness and practical application and calling for ‘clearer operational guidance’ (Ihaddouchen et al., 2025). This need for clearer, practical support is echoed in UK Government Digital Service publications, which emphasise the importance of safe and responsible AI use across sectors (Government Digital Service, 2025).

To equip music therapists with the technical competence and ethical assurance required by the HCPC Standards of Proficiency for Music Therapists (HCPC, 2023), this workshop is designed for delegates who feel unsure where to start, overwhelmed by the pace of AI development, concerned about maintaining sound clinical judgement, or uncertain about ethics and privacy in their practice. A range of interactive group and individual tasks will be provided with the following learning objectives:

LO1: Participants will identify at least one safe and ethical way AI could support their music therapy practice, in line with HCPC expectations.

LO2: Participants will practise using a simple, structured approach to prompting an AI tool and evaluating its output for safety, accuracy, and appropriateness.

LO3: Participants will adapt one AI‑generated idea or resource to enhance accessibility or person‑centred practice.

The workshop will require breakout room functionality, and participants will need to be provided with materials beforehand.

References

Cardillo, A. (2025) ‘How many people use AI? (Latest 2025 data)’, Exploding Topics, 27 October. Available at: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ai-usage-statistics (Accessed: 9 January 2026).

Government Digital Service (2025) Data and AI Ethics Framework. London: GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-ethics-framework/data-and-ai-ethics-framework (Accessed: 9 January 2026)

Health and Care Professions Council (2023) Standards of proficiency: Arts therapists. London: HCPC. Available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/globalassets/resources/standards/standards-of-proficiency---arts-therapists.pdf (Accessed: 9 January 2026).

KPMG & University of Melbourne (2025) Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025. Available at: https://kpmg.com/xx/en/our-insights/ai-and-technology/trust-attitudes-and-use-of-ai.html (Accessed: 9 January 2026)

Ihaddouchen, I., Buijsman, S., Pozzi, G., van de Sande, D., Reis, A.A., Townsend, R. et al. (2025) ‘Responsible artificial intelligence in healthcare: a systematic review on the use of ethical principles in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence’, BMJ Digital Health & AI, 1, e000086. doi:10.1136/bmjdhai-2025-000086.

Recent reports recognised the prominence of self-employment in the music therapy community. 57% of UK-based music therapists engaged in self-employed work (Carr et. al. 2017) and 75% of creative arts therapists in Ireland reported to be self-employed (Ahessy 2022). Thomas & Abad argued that the entrepreneurial mindset connects the border between arts therapy and the wider healthcare community. (2017) This roundtable bridges the literature gap with presentations examining therapists’ experiences in self-employment across career spans. The first presentation shares insights from newly qualified therapists navigating knowledge gaps, isolation, and fluctuating workloads in self-employment. The second presentation explores sustainability in self-employed practice while wearing multiple hats, such as administrator, marketer, advocate and finance manager. The third presentation traces a therapist’s development of a private practice through deepening relationships with those in the adoption community, including carers, social workers, educators and young people. The final highlights the perspectives of an experienced therapist working addressing challenges and opportunities across diverse settings. Participants will be invited to discuss whether a strong self-employment presence benefits the music therapy community and the communities that we serve, how professional connections can be fostered, and how training courses might better prepare therapists for self-employment.

References

Carr, C., Tsiris, G., & Swijghuisen Reigersberg, M. (2017). Understanding the present, re-visioning the future. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(2), 68–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359457517728379

Ahessy, B. (2022). Creative arts therapies in healthcare: Governance in a flourishing practice. Irish Medical Journal, 115 (6), 617

Thomas, D and Abad, V. (2017b), eds. The Economics of Therapy. London, United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 24-37. 

In the context of global ageing and the ongoing expansion of regional eldercare services in China, elderly residents in nursing homes in Foshan, a post-industrial city in southern China’s Lingnan region, face a unique challenge of identity reconstruction. As a previous industrial city, many older adults in Foshan were former factory or craft workers with little formal music experience. Retirement and relocation to institutional care frequently result in a sense of social disconnection and loss of self-worth, further compounded by the traditional Lingnan value of family-based eldercare, which places great emphasis on kinship and familial unity.

This study explores how community music therapy can facilitate identity reconstruction among elderly people in Foshan. Drawing on Ansdell and Pavlicevic’s (2004) framework and Stige’s (2010) concept of “musical mutual care,” it examines how culturally responsive interventions can support social inclusion and self-expression. Comparative findings from Kimura and Nishimoto’s (2017) research on choral practices in Norwegian and Japanese nursing homes demonstrate that collective singing can foster emotional bonding, providing valuable insights for organizing Cantonese-language choirs and Cantonese opera singing in Foshan. Methodologically, the project employs a qualitative, participatory action research design at a selected community nursing home, where the researcher collaborates with residents, care staff, and a music therapist to co-design weekly musical activities such as Cantonese-language choir sessions, nursery-rhyme rewriting, and light percussion workshops.

The study further adopts the perspectives of sound agency to conceptualize how participants’ active vocal and rhythmic practices—such as rewriting Cantonese nursery rhymes or engaging in improvised percussion—transform them from music receivers to sound producers. This process of sonic participation plays a key role in rebuilding self-recognition and cultural belonging.

By integrating community music therapy with local cultural identity, this research argues that localized, participatory musical practices can empower the elderly to regain a sense of agency and meaning in post-industrial urban contexts, offering both theoretical and practical implications for eldercare innovation in the Lingnan region. 

References

Coughlan, E. (2024). “Not a Note in My Head”: Reflecting on Musical Identity through Kodály-inspired Community Music Therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 24(3), https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v24i3.4067

Kimura, H., & Nishimoto, Y. (2017). Choirs in Two Countries - A Study of Community Music Therapy for the Older Adults in Norway and Japan. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 17(1), https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v17i1.860

Stige, B. (2010). Caring for music: The senior choir in Sandane, Norway. Practicing music as mutual care. In B. Stige, G. Ansdell, C. Elefant, & M. Pavlicevic (Eds.), Where music helps (pp. 245-274). Ashgate.

LaBelle, B., 2018. Sonic agency: Sound and emergent forms of resistance. Goldsmiths Press.

Ansdell, G., & Pavlicevic, M. (2004). Community music therapy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

In recent years, a more developed understanding of the subjective experiences and needs of autistic girls and women has been established (Bargiela 2019, Gould and Ashton-Smith 2012, Hendrickx 2015). This has been paralleled to some extent within the Music Therapy profession by increased writing and research about the neurodiversity paradigm, social model of disability and the ontology of autistic experience (Pickard 2019, Davies 2022). However, little focus has been placed on the potential for Music Therapy practice to develop through collaboration and co-production with autistic girls and women.

This roundtable offers a forum to share different perspectives on the role of music and Music Therapy in creative and therapeutic spaces for autistic girls and women, reflecting on different international, cultural and professional contexts. The panel will include participants who have accessed Music Therapy as well as researchers and therapists who have been active in exploring current practice.

We will share how the shifting cultural understanding of autism and music may have influenced our perspectives and experiences, both as music/Music Therapy practitioners and participants. By bringing together participant, practitioner and researcher experiences, the  roundtable offers an opportunity to reflect on the implications of this changing landscape and how Music Therapy and participatory arts-based initiatives can best meet the specific strengths, needs and experiences of autistic females.

References

Bargiela, S. (2019). Camouflage. The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Davies, H. (2022). “Autism is a way of being”: an ‘insider perspective’ on neurodiversity, Music Therapy and social justice. British Journal of Music Therapy 36(1), pp. 16-26.

Pickard, B. (2019). Valuing Neurodiversity: A Humanistic, Non-Normative Model of Music Therapy Exploring Rogers’ Person-Centred Approach with Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. In Dunn, H., Mottram, H., Coombes, E., Maclean, E. and Nugent, J. (eds.) Music Therapy and Autism Across the Lifespan. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.297-329.

Gould, J., and Ashton-Smith, J. (2012). Missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis? Girls and women on the autism spectrum. Good Autism Practice 12 (1), pp. 34-41.

Hendrickx, S. (2015). Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Hendrickx, S. (2015). Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

This presentation examines a ten-year music therapy journey with William, a young man living with Batten disease, focusing on how music reveals, sustains, and affirms continuity of personhood. As William’s physical and verbal abilities have changed, music has remained a constant, offering access to his identity, humour and musicality and highlighting how music therapy bears witness to enduring selfhood in the midst of profound change. A key feature is the collaborative creation of the presentation itself. Drawing on a rich, one-hour semi-structured interview with William’s mother and his two long-standing carers, the presentation will bring their voices alongside the therapist’s, using audio and video extracts, narrative reflections and jointly authored content. Their perspectives provide living evidence of music therapy’s capacity to sustain connection, meaning and recognition over time, enriching the therapist’s reflections and offering a multi-dimensional, co-created view of long-term practice. Given this collaborative format, the presentation will be pre-recorded to bring these voices and perspectives together, followed by a live Q&A.

References

Atkinson, R. (2022). Exploring the role of music therapy in the lives of children with Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (Batten Disease) (Doctoral thesis). University of Brighton

Baird, A., & Thompson, W. F. (2018). The impact of music on the self in dementia. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 61(3), 827–841

Kitwood, T. M. (1997). Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First. Open University Press

Lawendowski, R., & Bieleninik, Ł. (2017). Identity and self‑esteem in the context of music and music therapy: a review. Health Psychology Report, 5(2), 85‑99

Ockelford, A., Atkinson, R., & Herman, K. (2019). The potential role of music to enhance the lives of children and young people with Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (Batten disease). Amber Trust report.

The presentation explores findings of a final MA Major Project, prompted by patterns of clinical placement experience. It investigates the ways in which TikTok impacts music therapy with adolescents involved with Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) across National Health Service (NHS), educational, community and private settings, examining the music itself, the therapeutic process, and how music therapists respond to the increased rate of music discovery and consumption post pandemic-surge (2020-present). Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews positioned music therapy as a unique intersect for organic discussion of digital consumption patterns with adolescent service-users, offered educational insight into approaches and practical use of TikTok within clinical work, and evidenced the demand by practitioners for wider acknowledgement and discussion of the impact of TikTok, and other social media, within the music therapy profession.

We are a group of Music Therapists working within a council-led music service. Our team is school-based and some music hub work. Our roles and responsibilities as music therapists feel constantly in flux but never more so than since the pandemic. We navigate evolving school and student needs, decreasing budgets, developing council pressures and responsibilities all set in the context of the changing national musical, political and environmental climates.

As a team we endeavour to maintain our distinctiveness, ethos and boundaries whilst flexing to meet the needs of our employers, schools and clients.

Whilst aspects of our work changes around us and is often out of our control our ability to reflect individually and as a team about our clients - how to support them and the systems they are in, how to initiate positive change and understanding, and how to support each other, remains central and drives us forward.

However, due to further funding cuts, time for therapist team reflection and training has been removed and external pressures have reduced reflective time during the day. What impact will this have on our clients, our practice and our wellbeing?

In this presentation we will explore this question through a series of images and consider how reflective practice not only guides our clinical work but protects against ‘single-mindedness’, 

References

Bruscia (2014), supports systemic challenges within institutions, sustains enlivening and growth of the individual therapist and of the team and guards the wellbeing of all involved.

This presentation explores the role of short‑term music therapy within acute and crisis mental health settings, highlighting how therapeutic practice evolves in response to a rapidly changing clinical landscape. Drawing on frontline experience establishing and delivering creative therapies in an acute inpatient unit, the presentation examines the specific challenges and opportunities that arise when working with individuals in crisis, including high acuity, rapid turnover, fluctuating engagement, and the need for immediate therapeutic attunement.

The session will outline adaptable methods for rapid engagement, co‑regulation, and stabilisation using musical improvisation and structured techniques. Particular attention will be given to interdisciplinary collaboration, trauma‑informed practice, and the importance of flexible, time‑limited models that can support recovery even within very brief encounters.

A concise case vignette will illustrate how music therapy can foster safety, emotional grounding, and connection during periods of acute distress, demonstrating how therapeutic change can occur even within short‑term frameworks. Reflections will also consider how music therapists can position themselves within evolving service models and contribute meaningfully to crisis care pathways.

Overall, the presentation aims to share practical, clinically grounded insights into how music therapy adapts and remains responsive within the shifting realities of acute mental health services, emphasising creativity, immediacy, and human connection as vital components of practice in times of crisis.

This presentation considers the synergistic potential of integrating traditional psychodynamic Music Therapy (PMT) and Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) techniques in the rehabilitation of Paul, a man in his 40’s, recovering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Initially referred to music therapy for functional upper-limb rehabilitation, Paul’s treatment began with targeted NMT interventions to assess motor deficits, establish measurable goals, and initiate evidence-based therapeutic exercises. As therapy progressed, Paul’s engagement rapidly expanded beyond physical recovery, revealing a need for emotional reintegration and psychological support. By combining the structured, neurologically informed methods of NMT with the depth-oriented, relational focus of PMT, sessions facilitated neurological repair and the restoration of personal identity and agency. This presentation and case study reflects on how the integration of affective meaning-making with motor retraining not only supports functional outcomes but also fosters holistic recovery, underscoring the value of interdisciplinary music therapy in complex neurorehabilitation settings.

References

•    Bellanti R, Rinaldi S. Guillain-Barré syndrome: a comprehensive review. European Journal of Neurology. 2024; 31: e16365. doi:10.1111/ene.16365

•    Bruscia, K. (2014). Defining Music Therapy (3rd ed.). Barcelona Publishers.

•    Cochen De Cock, V., et al. (2014). The psychological impact of Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A review. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 46(8), 698–704.

•    Thaut, M. H., & Hoemberg, V. (2025). Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy Second Edition. Oxford University Press.

Introduction: Research on vocal group therapy with women survivors of sexual trauma is rarely reported in the music therapy literature. Furthermore, little is known about music therapists’ perspectives on voicework with this population. This study explores music therapists’ experiences and views on using voicework with women survivors of sexual trauma living in the community.

Methods: Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with music therapists from various countries, all of whom specialize in voicework and the treatment of sexual trauma. Each interview lasted approximately 120 minutes and was conducted via Zoom, using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews explored therapists’ views on the relevance of voicework, specific therapeutic phenomena, and key process characteristics when working with women survivors of sexual trauma. Therapists also reflected on the effects of specific vocal intervention techniques. Data was gathered from the interviews’ transcripts and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Three central process themes emerged. “Cutting dissociation” refers to the creation of new connections between fragmented parts of the self, allowing for more integrated self-experience. “Creating memories” describes the emergence of embodied emotional and sensory awareness, often enabling access to experiences that were previously inaccessible. “Circulating positions” reflects internal movement between victim and abuser, with the voice serving as a vehicle for transitioning between positions.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that voicework enables women survivors of sexual trauma to give voice, sound, and words to their traumatic experiences. Voicework 

is a potent therapeutic tool for helping sexually traumatized women improve their mental well-being and aiding overall healing. 

Music Therapy in Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC) supports goals outlined by the World Health Organisation for palliative care, including improving quality of life and supporting the wellbeing of children, young people and their families. Despite the development of music therapy practice within this clinical area, the existing literature remains limited, particularly research that centres the experiences and perspectives of children with life-limiting conditions and their families. To advance practice in this area, further research that captures the voices of the child and family articulating their own experiences of music therapy is essential, positioning these voices as central to service development and provision.

This presentation introduces an innovative new book, Music Therapy in Children’s Palliative Care: Collaborative Family and Practitioner Voices, which places children’s and families lived experiences at its core. Through a distinctive collaborative writing model, families and music therapists co-author chapters, offering parallel and interwoven perspectives on their shared therapeutic journeys. From editorship through to chapter development, this approach ensures that practitioner and service-user voices are equally represented.

Presented by the book’s co-editors, a bereaved parent and lived-experience practitioner and a music therapist and researcher working in PPC, this presentation explores the multifaceted role of music therapy in paediatric palliative settings. It outlines the book’s development process, highlights key insights arising from collaborative authorship and considers the significance of integrating service-user experiences into music therapy practice, research and education within PPC and beyond.

References

Amadoru, S., & McFerran, K. (2007). The role of music therapy in children’s hospices. Eur J Palliat Care, 14(3), 124-127.

Kammin, V., Fraser, L., Flemming, K., & Hackett, J. (2024). Experiences of music therapy in paediatric palliative care from multiple stakeholder perspectives: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. Palliative medicine, 38(3), 364-378.

Lindenfelser, K. (2005, November). Parents' voices supporting music therapy within paediatric palliative care. In Voices: A world forum for music therapy (Vol. 5, No. 3).

Lindenfelser, K. J., Hense, C., & McFerran, K. (2012). Music therapy in paediatric palliative care: Family-centered care to enhance quality of life. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 29(3), 219-226.

Steinhardt, T. L., Mortvedt, S., & Trondalen, G. (2021). Music therapy in the hospital-at-home: A practice for children in palliative care. British Journal of Music Therapy, 35(2), 53-62.

This presentation traces the professional journeys of two music therapists whose collaboration bridges cultures, generations, and models of care: Bob Heath (UK) has been a music therapist for over 20 years. He has worked primarily in palliative care and community mental health settings and has played an active role in the development of songwriting as a creative therapy in Britain. As his mentee and colleague, Lois Văduva (Romania) now leads the development of one of Romania’s first university-based music therapy training programmes, navigating a context where palliative services remain emergent and rapidly evolving.

Set against two contrasting care environments, their narrative illuminates the shifting realities faced by practitioners today. In the UK, the much-admired hospice movement - historically grounded in holistic care, is under unprecedented strain as soaring operating costs collide with a rapidly increasing demand for quality care – all set against an increasingly challenging social and political background. Meanwhile, Romania is witnessing early but promising growth, with new day-centre models and community-based initiatives placing social connection at the very heart of the emerging models of care.

Through reflective dialogue and practice vignettes this presentation will explore the evolution of mentorship into mutual learning. Their collaboration highlights how cross-cultural exchange can offer a sense of continuity at a time of considerable change and how, through this relational depth, it can inform our practice. Delegates will be invited to reflect upon the role of music therapy in end-of-life care services and how we can continue to develop and provide meaningful support for the dying and the bereaved.

Music listening is now embedded in everyday life through passive consumption of background music and widespread access to streaming platforms. Concurrently, emergent digital therapeutics capitalize on the availability of music and novel technologies to promote therapeutic music listening through personalized playlists, algorithmic recommendation systems and integrated features such as binaural beats. In response, the music therapy profession has often emphasised what technology cannot replicate, such as relational presence, attunement, and embodied interaction. While these distinctions are important, they may be insufficient for articulating the profession’s role within a receptive listening landscape where music is already readily available. 

This presentation argues that the distinctive contribution of music therapy lies not in exclusive access to music, but in guiding how individuals engage with music over time. Drawing on research and clinical reflection, it positions music therapists as specialists in how music interacts with bodily, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial systems. From this perspective, the therapist’s role extends beyond providing musical experiences within a session, to supporting the development of intentional, adaptive, and meaningful relationships with music both within sessions and beyond therapeutic sessions. 

The presentation proposes reframing everyday music listening as a functional therapeutic resource that can be shaped to support emotional regulation, and identity. It further explores how music therapists might work alongside emerging digital systems by focusing on how listening is oriented, reflected upon, and integrated into daily life. By shaping engagement and musical absorption through intentional listening practices, music therapists may strengthen transfer, autonomy, and relevance in an increasingly digital musical world.