What Did You Expect? Exploring the Roles of Clients’ and Referrers’ Expectations in the Success of the Music Therapy Process

Susannah Wettone

doi:10.15845/voices.v21i2.2950

Authors

Susannah Wettone Non-affiliated, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v21i2.2950

Keywords:

Expectations, therapeutic relationship, therapy process, assessment, client perspective

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which the expectations of clients and referrers can impact the music therapy process. The setting is one of a self-employed music therapist working for a music therapy provider. The referrals for this therapist come from the community via the provider’s website. A room in a community centre is used for sessions. Three case studies are presented, through which the relationship between the client’s or referrer’s expectations of music therapy and the actual outcomes of the work is explored. The first case study illustrates a scenario in which a client’s expectations were different from what the therapist could offer, but an informed decision to continue music therapy on the part of the client was reached. The second case study considers how the communication between the therapist and referrer about the referrer’s expectations enabled a client’s needs to be met through a challenging therapy process. The third case study looks at how a previous experience of therapy for the referrer may have led to high expectations of the therapy for a client she referred. The paper examines how these expectations influenced the therapy process. The author argues that the expectations of the person referring a client can have a significant influence on the therapy process and must be accounted for.

Author Biography

Susannah Wettone, Non-affiliated, UK

Susannah Wettone graduated as a music therapist from Anglia Polytechnic University (now Anglia Ruskin University) in 1999, completing her MA in music therapy in 2001. She began her career as an employed music therapist in special education. She has also worked in the NHS in adult mental health. Since 2004 she has worked for a music therapy provider in South East England. She has worked with adults and children in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, day centres and residential homes as well as taking referrals from the community. Susannah has an interest in communication with referrers and the wider multi-disciplinary team and enjoys supervising music therapy students on placement. Her main areas of experience over the last few years are autistic spectrum conditions, pre-school children and, more recently, music therapy for parents and children.

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What Did You Expect?

Exploring the Roles of Clients’ and Referrers’ Expectations in the Success of the Music Therapy Process

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Author Biography

Susannah Wettone, Non-affiliated, UK

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