Implementing music therapy through telehealth: considerations for military populations

Abstract

Purpose

Telehealth provides psychotherapeutic interventions and psychoeducation for remote populations with limited access to in-person behavioural health and/or rehabilitation treatment. The United States Department of Défense and the Veterans Health Administration use telehealth to deliver primary care, medication management, and services including physical, occupational, and speech-language therapies for service members, veterans, and eligible dependents. While creative arts therapies are included in telehealth programming, the existing evidence base focuses on art therapy and dance/movement therapy, with a paucity of information on music therapy.

Methods

Discussion of didactic and applied music experiences, clinical, ethical, and technological considerations, and research pertaining to music therapy telehealth addresses this gap through presentation of three case examples. These programmes highlight music therapy telehealth with military-connected populations on a continuum of clinical and community engagement: 1) collaboration between Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and the Acoke Rural Development Initiative in Lira, Uganda; 2) the Semper Sound Cyber Health programme in San Diego, CA; and 3) the integration of music therapy telehealth into Creative Forces®, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Results

These examples illustrate that participants were found to positively respond to music therapy and community music engagement through telehealth, and reported decrease in pain, anxiety, and depression; they endorsed that telehealth was not a deterrent to continued music engagement, requested continued music therapy telehealth sessions, and recommended it to their peers.

Conclusions

Knowledge gaps and evolving models of creative arts therapies telehealth for military-connected populations are elucidated, with emphasis on clinical and ethical considerations.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Music therapy intervention can be successfully adapted to accommodate remote facilitation.

• Music therapy telehealth has yielded positive participant responses including decrease in pain, anxiety, and depression.

• Telehealth facilitation is not a deterrent to continued music engagement.

• Distance delivery of music through digital platforms can support participants on a clinic to community continuum.

Keywords:

• Music therapy
• creative arts therapies
• telemedicine
• telehealth
• military
• service members
• veterans
• traumatic brain injury
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• community reintegration

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognise the service members and veterans engaged in rehabilitation, to include telehealth creative arts therapies, at various military installations and VA clinics across the United States, as well as the leadership, providers, and staff who assist in their recovery. Gratitude is extended to all the men and women who serve their country in the United States Armed Forces. Many thanks to MSgt Michael Schneider, USMC (Ret.) and Sgt Benjamin Tourtelot, USMC (Ret.), for sharing their experiences with music therapy telehealth. Special acknowledgement is extended to Demi Bullock, Barb Else, Donna Faraone, Lori Frazer, Lori Gooding, Steve Kosta, Keith Meyers, Rachelle Morgan, Heather Spooner, and Karen Wacks for their efforts integrating creative arts therapies and telehealth. The authors of this paper would like to acknowledge the contributions of Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network and the VA Office of Rural Health.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no declaration of interest. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Défense, the Veterans Health Administration, or U.S. Government. The identification of specific products, scientific instrumentation, organisations, individuals or compositions is considered an integral part of the research endeavour and does not constitute endorsement or implied endorsement on the part of the author, DoD, or any component agency.

Disclaimers

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.

Additional disclaimer: The identification of specific products, scientific instrumentation, or organisations is considered an integral part of the scientific endeavour and does not constitute endorsement or implied endorsement on the part of the author, DoD, or any component agency.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was supported by funding from Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Défense and Veterans Affairs and state and local arts agencies. The initiative seeks to improve the health, wellness, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers. Administrative support for the initiative is provided by Americans for the Arts.