An early interaction music therapy model

Abstract

Tämä Pro Gradu tutkielma esittelee kolmivaiheisen varhaisen vuorovaikutuksen musiikkiterapian työskentelymallin. Malli sisältää varhaisen vuorovaikutuksen dyadi-musiikkiterapian ja vanhemman oman psykodynaamisen tai kriisi- ja traumatyöpainotteisen musiikkiterapiaprosessin. Työskentelymallia tutkitaan teoreettisesti ja tapaustutkimuksen kautta. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen mutta sisältää kvantitatiivisen varhaisen vuorovaikutuksen videoarvioinnin.

This case study presents a threefold Early Interaction Music Therapy Model which is created in the child protection context. It contains mother-infant music therapy and mother’s own music therapy processes. The first two parts occur in mother-infant music therapy: inviting the infant to contact by music and supporting the mother in mirroring her infant musically. The last part occurs in the mother’s own music therapy where she may explore her feelings and issues which inhibit her from adequate interaction with her infant.

This research investigates the mother’s own primary family interaction, her present family dynamics, her life crisis and their influence to her interaction with her infant. These issues were also studied in relation with the infant’s masturbation symptom and rejection of mother’s initiatives. Interaction was quantitatively pre- and post-tested with Early Interaction Video Assessment Method, Care Index. Also the gaze, face and act contacts were measured in the beginning, in the middle and in the end of the mother-infant dyad’s music therapy process. Both music therapy processes were also explored qualitatively based on the therapeutically important issues arisen. The results highlighted the importance of the mother’s own process for exploring the projections in the background of early interaction challenges. They also brought up the possibilities of music therapy in early interaction work – not only in investigating the psychodynamic background of the mother, but also in terms of the essentiality of processing actual crisis to prevent projections which inhibit adequate interaction between the mother and the infant in the present.