Abstract
Trauma Informed Music Therapy: Theory and Practice aims to present a robust framework for trauma informed practice in music therapy work and through a wide range of clinical examples to explore how and why music can be so beneficial when working with those who have experienced trauma. The book presents clinical examples from work with children, adolescents, and adults including adverse childhood experiences; race-based traumatic stress; the impact of natural disasters; physical illness; mental illness; and abuse and trauma in the LGBTQAI+ community. The breadth of clinical approaches and work included makes the book accessible for a wide range of settings and practitioners.
A foreword by Julie Sutton sets the book within the context of the collective trauma experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a call throughout the book for music therapists to examine their own relationship with trauma and a reminder of the importance of self-care, for example, through personal therapy or supervision, when working with clients who have experienced trauma. Within the backdrop of the challenges of the last few years, this feels a particularly pertinent reminder as therapists have worked amid a frequently shifting and changing environment.
The book begins by outlining the key principles of trauma-informed practice: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice, cultural, historical and gender issues. The authors explore how beyond a ‘trauma informed’ approach, clinicians can benefit from a framework for working with clients with symptoms of trauma, both to promote clinical integrity and expertise and to enable clients to build necessary skills to move forward and live with their experiences. The book presents key areas in trauma informed practice and how these can be supported through music therapy interventions: building a sense of safety through supporting and developing self-regulation and the therapeutic relationship; connecting to the lived experience of the trauma where safe to do so, with music having the potential to support and structure these experiences, while also holding awareness of the potential for music to be contraindicative; and in connecting to a sense of self in the here and now.
These themes are returned to throughout the book, looking at how these can be applied to music therapy practice in a range of settings. While exploring a structured approach to trauma informed practice, the book also explores ideas of diversity, equity, inclusion and systemic racism, exploring how these link strongly to experiences of trauma and calling on therapists to be aware of their own background and approach a client’s cultural background with a sense of openness and humility.
The book is divided into three sections: the first outlining the theoretical background underpinning the work; the second offering case studies of work with children and the third case studies of work with adults. Throughout the book, authors return to the theories and ideas of trauma informed practice outlined in the introduction, creating a common thread despite the wide variety of clinical settings and approaches presented. Due to the breadth of material presented, the book provides an introductory rather than in depth exploration of how trauma informed practice can be used with music therapy practice. Although not an explicit aim of the book, it sets the scene for future articles to be written exploring these areas in more depth. Several of the case studies end with a section on ‘recommendations for practice’ which acts as a quick reference manual with theories and ideas to underpin work in the different areas. When approaching the end of each chapter this provided a direct link between the case studies on the page and work in the clinical space. However, this section did not appear in all of the case studies. As the aim of the text is to outline a systemic approach to trauma informed practice, it felt a shame that this was not presented in each chapter as a helpful and practical summary of the material presented.
Beer and Birnbaum (2023) describe how ‘advances in neuroscience offer insights as to how music can circumvent blocked pathways and tap into, address and resolve traumatic issues’ (p. 1). They explore how music can tap into a sense of play, with a focus on the here and now which can be particularly helpful when working with trauma. In addition, the ability of music to support regulation is identified as particularly important in supporting clients to engage in the work. There is also exploration of the importance of music in connecting to identity and culture. Case studies throughout the book highlight how different music therapy interventions, for example, songwriting and improvising, can help to support and connect to a sense of identity, flexibility, play and resilience, giving a voice to what has been silenced or feels impossible to put words to as a result of traumatic events. Importantly, throughout the book, a large focus is on ethical practice, not only exploring the benefits of using music in this area but also exploring why, how and when to use music safely.
The contributors in this book write in a sensitive yet passionate way about the importance of considering the prevalence of trauma in therapeutic work. The book clearly outlines the principles of trauma informed practice and how these can be applied in a more systematic way in music therapists work in a wide variety of settings. The book therefore will provide a useful starting point for any clinician beginning to think in more depth about systematic and safe ways of working with trauma.
