The individualized music therapy assessment profile as an initial assessment tool of social emotional functioning

Abstract

An assessment in music therapy clinical practice is an essential part of the therapy process.Based on the assessment the therapist is able to recognize the needs of the client and plan the influential interventions in the therapy. A music therapy assessment evaluates a client´s individual strengths and weakness in both musical and non-musical areas.

Many of the music therapy assessment tools have been created for a specific population, not as a comprehensive music therapy assessment tool. The IMTAP is one of the first comprehensive assessment instruments addressing a variety of diagnoses. It has been developed by a team of experienced music therapists in Music Therapy Wellness Clinic at California State University.

In this master's thesis research the IMTAP is applied with a child diagnosed with ADHD and phobic anxiety disorder. Focus of the research is on emotional, social and fundamentals of musicality domains of the IMTAP. The aims are to collect the experiences and perspectives of music therapy clinicians about using the IMTAP, to research if it is possible to apply the IMTAP to assess the social emotional functioning and is the IMTAP suitable to Finnish psychodynamic music therapy customs. The study is a multi-method qualitative research and it has been conducted by observations and assessing the video recorded therapy sessions, focus group interview and questionnaires.

This study offers a novel point of view on the IMTAP assessment tool, on music therapy assessment in general and also on some aspects of assessment method research. The IMTAP appears as a useful and ease to use assessment tool that helps the therapists to structure their work. In a focus group interview the clinicians bring out both benefits and needs of developing of the IMTAP, professional´s needs related to assessment and thoughts about best assessment style to assess social emotional functioning. Results of the IMTAP scoring forms and focus group interview brought up question about suitable rating scale to assessment.