Articles on Music Therapy

Today’s society is filled with people trying to find alternative remedies to illnesses. There are many reasons for this, from lack of health insurance to the desire to avoid medication. But whatever the reason, many alternative therapies, like music therapy, have grown in popularity. In fact, music therapy has not only gained popularity, it has also gained recognition as a medical profession. This has led many students interested in careers helping others to seek degrees in music therapy.

Of course, both students and people who are seeking relief from ailments are searching for information about music therapy. This is where articles on music therapy become important. Articles on music therapy can help educate non-professionals about this professional field. Professionally written articles, such as research articles, are the best way to go for those who are looking for information regarding the proven benefits of music therapy. These articles will give the reader an idea of what types of music therapy techniques have been used in which situations, and how those techniques have fared when compared to traditional therapy methods.

For example, a person interested in using music therapy to treat chronic pain would want to search for articles on music therapy that dealt with the results of research performed on chronic pain patients. These articles will give the person an idea of the music therapy techniques that seem to work the best on chronic pain patients – such as utilizing music as a distraction from pain, or as a relaxation method to reduce physical stress that can enhance the brain’s perception of pain. Articles on music therapy allow the reader to see how music therapy is used in chronic pain patients and what he or she can expect from music therapists for his or her particular condition. The reader can also choose the technique that seems best to him or her and suggest that to his or her music therapist.

Whether the reader is a student or a potential music therapy patient, it is extremely important for him or her to know how to determine the validity of the articles on music therapy he or she is reading. The best resources are available at the library; published articles are written by scholarly authors with formal background in the subject. If the library is not an option, the interested person can look for legitimate articles on music therapy on the internet. A good tip for this person is to look for articles published on websites hosted by professional music therapy organizations like the American Music Therapy Association. Articles on music therapy from these organizations will be accurate and up-to-date.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is simply the professional therapeutic ability to use artwork that has been done by individuals who desire personal development. This development has not been able to be achieved, due to trauma, personal crisis, illness, and certain challenges that have affected their life.

People of all ages use art therapy, done by a professional art therapist who has been trained extensively about the human development, artistic traditions in a multitude of cultures, psychological theories, and the healing abilities regarding the use of art. Services are provided to these individuals through art therapy because they cannot articulate through words, emotions, and feelings about their true state of mind.

The professional settings that participate with art therapy methods are mental health services, rehabilitation, medical institutions, education services, nursing homes, corporations, forensic agencies, community outreach, and independent practices.

Strict standards for art therapy have been established by the American Art Therapy Association, Inc. (AATA) and The Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc. (ATCB). Some individual states regulate their own practices of art therapy, while other states allow art therapists to become licensed counselors or mental health therapists. These art therapists utilize art-based assessment instruments to determine their client’s level of functioning. From this they are able to formulate a certain level of treatment objectives, decide what strengths and weaknesses their client has, gaining a better understanding of who their client is and the problems they have, and be able to evaluate their client’s progress.

The Master level of training and education for an art therapist is mandatory, as ensuring the appropriate usage and application of drawing tests, evaluation of the instrument validity, and its reliability is extremely important to better serve the client. According to Donna J. Betts, Ph.D., ATR-BC, in her 2005 Doctoral Dissertation, some of the top art therapy tests that can be used are:

• Favorite Kind of Day (AFKOD)
• Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT)
• Bird’s Nest Drawing (BND)
• Bridge Drawing
• Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS)
• Child Diagnostic Drawing Series (CDDS)

Rating instruments are also investigated, which can include:

• Descriptive Assessment of Psychiatric Art (DAPA)
• DDS Rating Guide and Drawing Analysis Form (DAF)
• Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS).

These are just a few of the art therapy assessment tools that can be used by art therapists, in clinical settings or in research. Each art therapy tool is a  structured assessment that are collected under standardized conditions. Most are developed to provide a compatibility with psychological testing and psychiatric evaluations:

• Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (ATPIA)
• Draw-A-Story Screening for Depression (DAS)
• Used to identify children and adolescents at risk for harming others or themselves.
• Through the artwork, it can be seen that significant differences will emerge between aggressive and non-aggressive groups in its emotional content and self-image, in addition to