What am I signing up for? -Our Music Therapy Assessment Process-
Written by Laura Bill, MT
Starting any new adventure can cause many feelings, especially when one’s health is involved. There may be feelings of excitement, nervousness, hope, fear, and anything in between. For this reason, we wanted to share what a music therapy assessment looks like at Riverstone Therapies. We will break down each step of the process to help families understand what we do and why we do it. We hope this knowledge brings comfort as families embark on their music therapy journey.
Consultation vs. Assessment
Riverstone Therapies offers two ways to begin. Our first option is registering for a complimentary phone consultation. This 15-minute phone call with one of our board-certified music therapists allows for an open conversation to see if music therapy would be a good fit for you. They will answer any questions you have and may ask a few follow up questions to better understand the situation. The beauty of the consultation is that it provides individualized information without immediately committing to the assessment. If you are unsure about music therapy, this may be the best road for you.
Our second option is signing up for the assessment. The assessment consists of a complimentary 15-minute phone call with a board certified music therapist, a 45-minute assessment and an official report. This road is best for those who are certain they want to try music therapy and see what it has to offer.
The Day Has Come
For those who chose the assessment path, your assessment will be scheduled after your complimentary phone call. When arriving at our office, the music therapist administering the assessment will meet you in the lobby and bring you to the office suite. After brief introductions, they start with the most important part of the assessment. Music! They will engage you or your loved one with a variety of instruments and music interventions. Some of these can include a hello song, familiar tunes, dance songs, instrument exploration, and a goodbye song. Any music and instruments used will assess non-music skills. For example, maybe the client is very interested in the piano. They play with the therapist for five minutes, taking turns playing, and then move away from the piano. This may not seem like much, but it can inform the therapist of their attention span (around 5 minutes), turn taking abilities (or cycles of communication), fine motor skills (did they use individual fingers to play?), and so much more depending on the interaction. If you are curious to see what this could potentially look like, make sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RiverstoneTherapies (video coming soon)! This music portion lasts approximately 30 minutes. The remaining 15 minutes are used to discuss what was observed in the session, ask any remaining questions, and make suggestions for future services.
Next Steps
Within three days after your assessment, you will be emailed an official report from your music therapist. It will include observations made during the session of non-music skills and musical preferences. It will also include some potential goal areas that could be addressed in music therapy and an official suggestion of services. With this experience and information, you can then decide where the journey goes. We hope to be a part of it.
