| Abstract |
This textbook evolved from a need to identify and define the clinical skills that are required of a music therapist or a student-in-training to practice within pediatrics. Unlike other texts that describe clinical practices, this text contains activities and materials that lead to the acquisition of clinical skills. Chapters are arranged to reflect a routine that music therapists frequently adhere to when providing services in medical settings: Conducting patient assessments, making referral decisions and conveying those decisions to other medical professionals, implementing traditional music therapy sessions in the playroom and at bedside, and providing specialized patient-centered interventions during various diagnostic and treatment procedures. Of special interest is the inclusion of specific protocols for clinical assessment and specially designed music interventions, along with all materials required to conduct the interventions, which appear in a user-friendly format. Furthermore, these protocols provide a foundation to establish evidence-based practices in an increasingly data-driven healthcare industry. Each chapter also contains common headings and subheadings with associated icons that easily guide the reader through relevant research literature, questions that promote thought and discussion, simulations that encourage the development of clinical skills, and fieldwork assignments that promote transference of those skills. Therapists, educators, students, and other medical professionals who use this textbook can gain an understanding of the basis for and applications of music therapy protocols and interventions. These professionals can also comprehend the necessity for clearly articulating a rationale for implementing music therapy, value the observation of interventions that can be highly successful, and acknowledge and promote the professional practice of music in medicine. |
