Music Therapy Methods in Neurorehabilitation: A Clinician's Manual

Acquired brain injury presents huge challenges to our societies worldwide. With this new publication, Music Therapy Methods in Neurorehabilitation: A Clinician's Manual, Felicity Baker and Jeanette Tamplin provide an extensive and highly informative presentation of a wide selection of music therapy interventions they have applied in neurorehabilitation in response to the challenges of acquired brain injury.

Building on may years of clinical experience and research, the authors provide descriptions and explanations of interventions related to a wide range of issues including altered states of consciousness, movement disorders, cognitive and behavioural impairments, challenges to communication and emotional adjustment. It is the first book to provide such an extensive overview of a large selection of clinical techniques applied in neurorehabilitation with people with acquired brain injury.

The book makes a significant contribution and provides access to a great deal of unique information and knowledge about the clinical application of music therapy in rehabilitation with people who have experienced acquired brain injury. This book will be of interest to music therapist, students, and music therapy educators. It is also a valuable resource for related professionals interested in the application of music therapy in neurorehabilitation.

This book provides a comprehensive summary of the types of acquired brain injury, the difficulties that patients may experience following brain injury, and how music therapy can address these difficulties...Each chapter follows a consistent format, detailing the neurological underpinnings of a patient's diagnosis. This knowledge provides the music therapist with the foundation on which to establish goal-directed treatment programmes. The book gives examples of specific music therapy techniques used to address the aforementioned needs of patients...In our day-to-day work, we have found the book really useful in many ways, including:

* it is a beneficial tool for both music therapists and the multidisciplinary team when introducing music therapy services

* it provides a succinct refresher of techniques, their implementation and patient benefits

* it offers helpful references for further reading to inform music therapy practice and the multidisciplinary team

* it assists music therapists and multidisciplinary teams in using consistent language.

Furthermore, the book offers useful treatment techniques for clinicians and patients for use beyond the clinical setting to support their progress post discharge. It has also been a useful source for both supervisors and supervisees in expanding knowledge, understanding, implementation and review of music therapy practice in neurorehabilitation...Its contents are derived from the authors' extensive clinical experience as music therapists working in multidisciplinary neurorehabilitation teams in Australia. As music therapy in neurorehabilitation is a developing area, they felt that a manual would be uiseful to the growing number of clinicians working in this field.Thus, it is the first of its kind; a much needed and welcomed addition to the body of literature.