Meaning and Relevance in a Therapeutic Journey: An Exploration of the Relevance of Fairy Tales to Work with Older Learning Disabled Clients Who Have Been Institutionalised

Abstract

This article describes aspects of long-term work with a learning disabled adult over the period of time during which he made use of a story. This is given in detail from a point at over 5 years into the therapy when an initial question about the story was presented to the therapist. The article shows the ways in which the story was incorporated into the overall musical work. These sessions are placed into the context of the therapy as a whole, the ways in which story and music were combined, the central place that this work took and how this resonated with the client's life. The article concludes with thoughts about work with learning disabled clients and how the use of story can bring about new spaces in the clinic room. The concept of institutionalisation, along with broader questions about social change and the potential impact upon learning disabled clients will also be explored, with questions raised for the music therapy profession to consider further. The article is illustrated with colour plates from the book used during the therapy.