Music Therapy Assessments

Music Therapy Assessments

Music therapy assessments are utilized to gather information about a client’s diagnosis, functioning and needs, and to evaluate their responses to musical stimuli and music therapy strategies used to target individual goals. Music therapy assessments may evaluate the physical, emotional, social, communication, and/or cognitive health and functioning of clients. The music therapist works with a client, client’s family, school teams and medical teams to determine potential goals for treatment and targets these goals with uniquely designed music therapy strategies.

In an initial intake, the music therapist gathers information on the client’s diagnosis, levels of functioning, needs, strengths, and musical interests and preferences. Using the information gathered from the initial intake, a music therapist creates music therapy strategies to target a client’s individual areas of need, strengths, and preferences in a music therapy assessment. The music therapist presents a variety of musical stimuli and interventions to target determined areas of need, and records the client’s responses to music therapy strategies, including functioning in areas of need, engagement level, and mood in the assessment session.

The music therapist evaluates the information gathered in the music therapy assessment and creates a treatment plan in collaboration with a client, client’s family, school teams, and/or medical teams to target individualized goals for treatment in music therapy.