There will be a review of the book
Gattino, G. S. (2020).
I have had the opportunity to read the book
From a deep reading of this book I have been able to understand that the assessment process
in music therapy is ubiquitous, although sometimes we are not aware of it. In each instance
of the music therapy process we are assessing in many ways. We will be able to record/
review, observe, test, and/or interview (
Likewise, these assessment methods may be applied in the different stages of the music
therapy process either during the (1) referral and acceptance of the treatment, the (2)
initial assessment, the (3) definition of treatment plan, the (4) implementation of
treatment, and the (5) discharge or termination (
Unlike the book
The book is divided into six parts. In general, Part I refers to the initial considerations for the assessment. Parts II to V are written in such a way as to be able to define and conceptually differentiate the four stages of assessment in music therapy, dedicating a part to each one.
Part I deals with introductory topics such as the conceptual definition of assessment, its basic characteristics, the processes and the different contexts. Regarding this last point, it is interesting to understand the assessment in each application context, such as the educational, medical, and mental health context. It considers situations such us if the assessment is about a person or a group, if the assessment is about the patient or the music therapist, if the assessment is connected or disconnected from the music therapy process, etc. Regarding the duration, another difference could be if it is a focal or a procedural assessment. My work in varied clinical care situations has many times raised big questions as to how to adjust the assessment, what to assess, how to assess and analyze, and what to contribute and communicate to the interdisciplinary team.
Part II
Likewise, it mentions the different perspectives in music therapy, such as the GIM Model, Improvisational, Feminism, Behavioral, etc., offering a very large panorama about how to think about the assessment according to each one. Ethical aspects are also addressed in this part, highlighting the importance of informed consent about the actions that the music therapist performs around the assessment. This aspect is significant since the context of virtual attention has raised many questions about data protection. The author concludes this part with a review of the research in which studies were compiled where various assessment tools are presented, applied, validated, or reviewed. I personally had no notion of the large number of studies referring to these issues. Based on this research, the author highlights the idea of being able to deepen the applications of existing tools, perfecting their usefulness in different contexts and circumstances in order to improve and increase their evidence of validity.
Part III
In Part IV the author explains the different ways to analyze and interpret the data
obtained from the assessment process. A chapter is devoted to analysis, detailing the
variety and breadth of data types that can be collected as well as quantitative,
qualitative, and mixed analyzes. In the chapter on interpretation he explains the different
forms, such as the “suspicious,” phenomenological, empathic, hermeneutical, actuarial,
psychometric, interpretative, etc. Here the most interesting contribution is
the decision tree based on Bonde (
Part V is related to the communication and documentation of the assessment results. Regarding the communication chapter, the author provides clinical examples and specific strategies of how to communicate, both orally and in writing, assertively and effectively, what was assessed. Regarding the chapter on documentation, the author focuses on how the music therapist generates different types of documents according to the music therapy process stage and according to the different purposes for its practice. Throughout it the author provides different document and form templates, resulting in a very didactic way of transmitting these ideas. Some suggestions on how to organize and categorize these documents were interesting to me, given that over time there may be many patients with whom we work and many kinds of information to manage.
From a personal point of view, the book has given me the opportunity and the challenge to
develop a deeper understanding of the actions that I take in my clinical practice related
to assessment. Before reading this book, I believed that the assessment in music therapy
was synonymous with the initial assessment (
As a contribution to putting into practice the ideas transmitted throughout the book, in
the following table I was able to capture and visualize the continuous assessment process
considering the tools, methods and objectives of each action at each stage of the process
in music therapy that I carry out in the context of clinical care for children and young
people on the Autism Spectrum (
Assessment Actions Aimed Along the Music Therapy Process for Children and Young People on the Autism Spectrum.
MUSIC THERAPY PROCESS | ASSESSMENT TOOLS | ASSESSMENT METHODS | ASSESSMENT PURPOSES |
---|---|---|---|
REFERRAL AND ACCEPTANCE | Semi-structured interview | INTERVIEW |
To know the patient and their family To know everyday contexts and routines To give guidelines and guidelines for treatment To get the informed consent To set the indication to music therapy ( |
Admission Form | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
Informed consent Form | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
MEL Assessment |
TEST | ||
|
IDEA Inventory ( |
TEST |
To establish the therapeutic bond To get to know the patient in various musical experiences To know the functionality of the patient To know the patient´s strengths and difficulties To know the patient´s musical interests and other ones To know the supports the patient should need To record sessions |
ASD Severity Level ( |
OBSERVATION | ||
MFAP ( |
OBSERVATION | ||
AQR ( |
TEST | ||
Review patient reports (medical, school, other therapies) | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
Record session form |
RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
Initial Assessment report | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
DEFINITION OF TREATMENT PLAN | Interview with parents | INTERVIEW |
To plan treatment: Design therapeutic goals and therapeutic supports. To communicate the treatment plan and goal |
Treatment plan report | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATMENT | Record session form |
RECORD/ REVIEW |
To establish transversal support strategies together with the interdisciplinary team To communication with family, team and school. To carry out re-evaluation of treatment goals To communicate with external health entities To record sessions |
Interviews | INTERVIEW |
||
Evaluation report | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
External reports | RECORD/ REVIEW |
||
DISCHARGE/ TERMINATION | Final interview | INTERVIEW |
To communicate objectives achieved To give suggestions for future treatment To discharge or refer to another professional |
Final treatment report | RECORD/ REVIEW |
In the last chapter the author discusses on the special considerations that arose around the COVID-19 Pandemic, making reflections and their impact on assessment practices. This is the case of the particularities in virtual care and the challenges for the assessment, needs, and care that arose for face-to-face care, and the issues around teaching and the transmission of knowledge to students and music therapists supervising their practice. In this section the author omitted the implications for the families of the patients/users who accompanied the processes in tele-care. From my experience as a clinician, I believe that this point was crucial in this context given that the roles were redefined and that part of our work had to do with carrying out a new assessment and helping the adult to be able to accompany properly, becoming an assistant for the music therapist intervention.
Throughout 2020 and in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the author held virtual meetings to communicate some of the guidelines set out throughout the chapters. I was able to participate in them and exchange impressions and ideas on each topic raised. This form of writing and presentation to the community was novel, given the complex context. I think having feedback during the process of writing and reviewing the book was enriching to the writing. It also managed to generate content exchange and promotion networks, without having to wait for its official publication.
I believe that the richness of this publication has to do with the depth to describe each of the instances of assessment in music therapy, resulting in a kind of practical and useful manual, both for students, for music therapist who are just starting out, as well as for music therapist with vast clinical experience. Another of the book's strengths is being able to compile, organize, and describe a large quantity and quality of information.
Finally, the opportunity for it to be translated into several languages and its open access will allow for dissemination of this knowledge in different countries of different socioeconomic levels, thus being able to provide opportunities to access information at a global level for all music therapists.
The author has a degree in Music Therapy from Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. She has completed a Hospital Career in Music Therapy and Medicine at Rivadavia Hospital in Buenos Aires. She was a music therapist for the Developmental Disorders Team at the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires. Since 2014 she has been Director of Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Postgraduate Course at the Italian Hospital University Institute. She was a teacher in the Music Therapy Career at Buenos Aires University. She has training in Microanalysis, PECS Program, ABA Model, Functional Behavioral Analysis, DIR Floortime Model, Denver Model and Mindfulness. She works privately as a music therapist for different populations since 2006.