Inside The Mind Of A Music Therapist: Verbal Processing in Music Therapy

Purposes of Verbal Processing (Inspired by "Verbal Processing Within the Music Therapy Relationship" Written by Paul Nolan)

• Increase Client Awareness

• Enhancement of Awareness About the Music

• Enhancement of Awareness About Musical Behavior

• Enhancement of Awareness About Interpersonal Process

• Enhancement of Awareness About Emotional or Cognitive Experiences 

• Enhancement of Non-Verbal and Verbal Integration

• Facilitating Therapeutic Factors in Group Music Therapy

• Gathering Information From Verbal Processing

• Using Interpretations from Verbal Processing

• Confrontation

• The Use of The Voice in Verbal Processing

• Returning to the Music

I’ve always wondered what place verbal conversations had in music therapy. I have seen entire sessions where there was no verbal exchange between the client and the therapist. In those cases music seems to purely be an offering. It doesn’t seem like there needs to be a verbal acknowledgement of what is happening or exactly why it is. It just is and the music is there, almost like a third person in the room. And so, the client can choose to join in or not. I’ve also seen countless scenarios where the client is physically unable to verbally process. When the therapist is speaking to a nonverbal client it’s hard for them to avoid making assumptions in their interpretations. When all the clients I had in a pediatric palliative care facility did not use verbal speech, I largely avoided verbal processing as to not speak “for them”. I did comment on and acknowledge their music and musical behavior but I could not comprehend what emotional or cognitive experiences they might have been experiencing. In those instances I had to try and learn/interpret a language that I felt they were communicating to me in. However, I do understand how speech is traditionally a tool to further assess how the music, and our relationship within the music, makes the client feel. In my current work I am forming a clearer picture of the place of verbal processing. I see that other therapists often use verbal processing to enhance awareness and provide clarification for the individual as well with groups. Sometimes before we can all “be on the same page” in music, we must first process what we are thinking and what we want to do with our time together. I see the tremendous value in giving clients the power to decide what they want to do with their therapy space. And so I’ve seen time and time again that returning to the music always brings cohesiveness, clarity, and connectedness after verbal processing. I tend to avoid asking “how are you” during sessions. I feel that is something the client should bring up if they want to, and feel that musical greetings should take precedence. However, if there are specific goals focused on socialization for the individual or group I see the value in using verbal processing that leads to a musical experience. All in all, the use of verbal processing in therapy will be dependent on the unique way the client communicates, and the goals that clients and therapists agree upon. It is the duty of the therapist to communicate with the client in a way they can understand, and that empowers them to make their own decisions.

Just some thoughts. Until next time!

Miss K