Music communicates where words fail, and music therapy has been proven to connect with those who were thought to be unreachable, making it an ideal medium for working with those who have suffered psychological trauma. Music, Music Therapy and Trauma addresses the need for an exploration of current thinking on music and trauma. With chapters written by many of today's leading specialists in this area, music and trauma is approached from a wide range of perspectives, with contributions on the following: * neurology of trauma and music; * music and trauma in general; * social and cultural perspectives on trauma; * contextualising contemporary classical music and conflict; * music and trauma in areas where there is war, community unrest and violence (Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Africa); * music, trauma and early development. Including specific examples and case studies, this book addresses the growing interest in the effects of trauma and how music therapy can provide a way through this complex process.

When guided effectively, the relationship between adolescents and music can offer powerful opportunities for expression and release. This book provides music therapists with the complete 'how to' of working with teenage clients. Helpful and accessible, the book explains the methodology used in music therapy, a topic that has been considered only briefly until now. The author presents an empowering approach to practice, discussing how the therapist can be placed in a collaborative relationship with the individual or with the group. A range of strategies is explored, including song sharing, improvisation, song writing and various multi-media approaches. Some of the key challenges faced by music therapists working with adolescent clients are addressed, including the constantly changing repertoire and evolving musical tastes, and the author offers practical solutions for overcoming these. Contemporary models of Community Music Therapy are outlined in the second half of the book, and case vignettes illustrate how each of the methods can be applied in practice, and the outcomes that may be expected. The first of its kind, this comprehensive book is a must for all music therapists working with adolescent clients.

This practical book describes the specific use of receptive (listening) methods and techniques in music therapy clinical practice and research, including relaxation with music for children and adults, the use of visualisation and imagery, music and collage, song-lyric discussion, vibroacoustic applications, music and movement techniques, and other forms of aesthetic listening to music. The authors explain these receptive methods of intervention using a format that enables practitioners to apply them in practice and make informed choices about music suitable for each of the different techniques. Protocols are described step-by-step, with reference to the necessary environment, conditions, skills and appropriate musical material. Receptive Methods in Music Therapy will prove indispensable to music therapy students, practitioners, educators and researchers.

Studies have shown that music is closely linked to addiction and can function as an integral part of recovery. This book demonstrates how music and music therapy can be applied in a variety of treatment settings to bring about therapeutic change. It is of interest to music therapists, and substance abuse counsellors.

In music, people can make themselves heard, even if they cannot communicate verbally or words have long lost their meaning. Music (therapy) helps people find a way out of their isolation, find pleasure in making music together, or enjoy soothing sounds in an individual therapy setting. Its individualized design makes it adaptable for a wide range of moods that older people experience in everyday life, and can help in difficult situations. Creative work in music therapy is always professionally grounded - subtly, playfully, or expressively, and is used to underscore mood. This book describes music therapy objectives and methods for older people. It provides many tips for specific sequences of interventions, for using instruments, choice of music, and related discussion topics.

In this unique text, ten cases of music therapy with autistic children (tamariki takiwātanga) are critiqued through the eyes of family members and other autism experts. Rickson uses her wealth of experience to contextualise their rich observations in a thorough review of research and practice literature, to illustrate the ways music therapists engage autistic children in the music therapy process, highlight the various ways music therapy can support their health and well-being, and demonstrate how music therapy processes align with good practice as outlined in the New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline.

Music therapy is growing internationally to be one of the leading evidence-based psychosocial allied health professions to meet needs across the lifespan.The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy is the most comprehensive text on this topic in its history. It presents exhaustive coverage of the topic from international leaders in the field.

As you read through the essays in this collection you will become familiar with music therapists who are interested in cultural dialogue. The book includes essays on communication, culture, and community, as well as reports and columns from fourteen countries around the world. Perhaps culture is some kind of last frontier and therefore one we approach with fear, trepidation and a degree of anxiety? This last frontier reaches into the core of who we are as human beings. It ventures into the complexities of identity, not only individual, but group identities. It shapes our territories, our homes. It determines our music, our healing practices. And to make it even more potentially threatening, these cultural landscapes are on the move. How are music therapists coping with these radical changes, and how are they continuing their professional discourse, which was established in a time when these dramatic cultural shifts were perhaps present but not considered a force to reckon with? The book will be of relevance for all students and professionals of music therapy, and for clinicians and researchers in related fields. As music, culture, and health are seminal topics in the life of most people, the general public will also find much of interest in this anthology.

The second edition of Receptive Music Therapy builds on the foundations of the first but provides a completely new rendition, replete with examples from contemporary practices and recognising the value of online music therapy experiences. Learn how music therapists select music from a wide range of diverse musical styles through both collaborative decision making and client-led approaches. Methods include focused music listening, playlist construction, lyric analysis, relaxation, music and imagery along with fundamental principles for receptive music therapy.