Looking Back: Reflection from Previous Editors of the British Journal of Music Therapy (p4)
Various
Articles
The World with the Walls: A Music Therapy Group for Patients in Long-Term Segregation at the National High Secure Service for Women in the UK (p8-20)
Helen Short
This article describes work undertaken at a high secure service for women in the UK. It provides an account of an on-ward, time-limited music therapy group for individuals detained in long-term segregation in the intensive care unit of the hospital. The high level of risk patients pose to themselves and others means mixing with their peers requires close supervision, and also results in long periods of isolation.
The group was initiated with the primary focus being to help develop relationships between the women. Often the whole ward team participated, with staff members taking the role of participant–observer during the session.
A background to the work, including the nature of the forensic setting, is provided. Group music therapy in this setting is then described, with consideration given to the impact of institutional dynamics on the process. The relationship between the culture of the NHS and the high-secure setting, with the inevitable struggle to maintain authentic therapeutic relationships, is also ex-plored.
Keywords: forensic, high secure, institutional dynamics
'Music in the Dark': A Reflective Case Study on Music Therapy Work with One Woman in a Red-Light District in Kolkata, India (p21-30)
Alice Laing
The United Nations (UN 2009) report that India is a source, destination and transit country for sex trafficking. Those with learning disabilities, or other psychosocial difficulties, are thought to be most at risk. By working in conjunction with a charity in the middle of the red-light area in Kolkata that gives support to women affected by HIV I have offered music therapy to women in this district in order to support their psychological and emotional health in the context of trauma, and to children with learning disabilities. Through the therapeutic relationship and process, it is considered that aspects of trauma and self may be given the opportunity to be heard and explored, resulting in the individual’s journey becoming less isolated and fragmented.
This article describes individual work with one woman. In this reflective case study I have ex-tracted themes of femininity, intimacy, and true and false self that unfolded during the work within the context of trauma. I have drawn from music therapy articles on trauma (Austin 2002; Sutton 2002), developmental theories (Bowlby 1988; Winnicott 2005); and psychoanalytic writings focusing on trauma (Kalsched 1996; Klein 1984; Levine 1997).
Keywords: India, music therapy, red-light district, trafficking, trauma
Book Reviews
Leslie Bunt and Brynjulf Stige: Music Therapy: An Art Beyond Words (second edition) (p31-35)
Review by Cathy Warner
Wanda B.Latham-Radocy: Pediatric Music Therapy (second edition) (p35-38)
Reviewed by Juliet Wood
Julie Sutton and Jos de Backer (eds): The Music in Music Therapy: Psychodynamic Music Therapy in Europe - Clinical, Theoretical and Research Approaches (p39-42)
Review by Donald Wetherick
Alison Levinge: The Music of Being: Music Therapy, Winnicott and the Schooll of Object Relations (p42-47)
Review by Luke Annesley
Text Watch (p47-51)
Compiled by John Strange
Text Watch will henceforth appear in every issue of BJMT, so as to provide a more up-to-date picture of writing in the field. Its scope is, however, changing. Its purpose is still to alert readers to material they may find of interest in books and journals, but included in the latter are now those English-language music therapy journals not available online, formerly covered by BJMT’s Journal Watch. Articles of less than three pages are omitted, as are book reviews regardless of length. Items are arranged alphabetically by first author. Abstracts can be supplied by the compiler for the majority of articles. The URLs of online music therapy journals are given below.
Readers are reminded that by notifying the compiler of their own publications in good time these may be included in BJMT in advance of their appearance in databases.