Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy

Katrina McFerran is Senior Lecturer in music therapy at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She specialises in music therapy with adolescents, and her clinical work spans a range of community and institutional settings, from palliative care to mental health and special education. Katrina has worked with a wide range of teenagers, including those struggling to cope with bereavement, substance misuse, homelessness, mental illness, chronic illness and a variety of disabilities.

• Foreword by Tony Wigram. Introduction. Part 1. Background. 1. Taking a Systematic Look at the Literature. 2. The Real Deal on How to Work with Adolescents. 3. What is Healthy Adolescence and How Does Music Help? Part 2. Song Methods and Teenagers. Introduction. 4. Using Existing Songs. 5. Writing Original Songs. Part 3. Using Improvisation with Teenagers. Introduction. 6. Group Improvisation. 7. Individual Improvisations. Part 4. Contemporary Approaches. Introduction. 8. Community Music Therapy. 9. Four Brief Approaches to Grief. 10. Preparing for Performances. Conclusion. Appendix: Literature Reviewed for Chapter 1. References. Index.

Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy is an invaluable resource for newly qualified music therapists and trainees, as well as for established music therapists and others interested in how music can benefit young people... Writing with such an honest approach, the author captures one's attention immediately... Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy feels like supervision sessions, lectures and conversations with colleagues are all compiled into one book... This is invaluable when starting out. I have found there to be a lack of practical guidance in other literature but this book has an abundance of it... Such insight and enthusiasm is contagious... This is an accessible read, providing insight for those who do not know much about music therapy... engaging, supportive, thought-provoking and practical.