Perceptions of mental health assessment and resource-oriented music therapy assessment in a child and youth mental health service

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Music therapists are increasingly being employed in multidisciplinary mental health services. Assessment is usually undertaken early in mental health treatment and can significantly influence people’s engagement with therapy. However, little is known about how people perceive mental health assessment and music therapy assessment.

Method

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore, through focus groups, young people’s perceptions of assessment in Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS) in Australia. Three young people discussed their recollections of mental health assessment in inpatient and outpatient CYMHS settings. Two of the young people reviewed a Resource-Oriented Music Therapy Assessment (ROMTA) devised by the first author and the Healthy Unhealthy uses of Music Scale (HUMS), envisaged music therapy assessment, and made suggestions for sensitive implementation.

Results

Thematic analysis revealed four themes regarding mental health assessment: not understanding; coming out feeling worse; getting through somehow and finally getting help. Based on these themes, participants suggested that music therapy assessment should be thoroughly explained and taken at the young person’s pace, that trust and rapport should be developed before asking personal questions and using quantitative measures, and that assessment tasks should be based on what young people are comfortable with.

Discussion

This research addresses a gap in the literature regarding young people’s perceptions of mental health assessment and music therapy assessment. In this study, young people indicated a preference for individualised, conversational approaches rather than standardised measures. Findings indicate that assessment should be supportive, collaborative and provide sufficient information to promote autonomy.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment
• mental health
• music therapy
• adolescent
• youth
• recovery

Acknowledgments

We thank Raeleigh Bryant for her enthusiastic encouragement and her support regarding organisational processes.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received for this study.

Notes on contributors

Kate A. Aitchison

Kate A. Aitchison is a registered music therapist with 15 years’ experience providing music therapy services in a variety of settings with infants, children, adults and the elderly. Kate began working in Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS) in 2008 and currently holds a senior music therapy position within the Jacaranda Place Adolescent Extended Treatment Centre, Children’s Health Queensland. Kate holds a Graduate Diploma in Music Therapy (2005) and a Master of Mental Health, psychotherapy (2013) from the University of Queensland. She is currently undertaking a qualitative doctoral research project through the University of Melbourne exploring the purpose and value of resource-oriented music therapy assessment with adolescents in CYMHS. Kate frequently presents at music therapy conferences, mental health conferences and professional development seminars. In 2015, Kate published a chapter on songwriting with adolescents in Consultation Liaison mental health settings in the co-edited book Creative Arts in Counselling and Mental Health.

Katrina Skewes McFerran

Katrina Skewes McFerran is Professor and Head of Creative Arts Therapy at The University of Melbourne in Australia. She is an international expert on the topic of music, music therapy and adolescence and has published her research in international and interdisciplinary refereed journals, as well as sole authoring her first text on “Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy” in 2010 (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), and the Oxford Handbook of Music, Adolescents and Wellbeing with Phillipa Derrington and Suvi Saarikallio (2019). Katrina is committed to raising awareness about how young people can use music in their lives and has created a TedxTalk (Coming Back from the Darkside with Music) as well as a freely accessible Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on How Music Can Change Your Life (Coursera). She has keynoted a number of music therapy conferences, as well as teaching large classes (1000+ students) about Music Psychology and Music & Health.