This book shows, for the first time, how research and clinical work can creatively complement one another, proving beneficial to both disciplines. Each chapter is written by a leading researcher and practitioner in the field, and the book covers a wide spectrum of approaches within different settings.

Forty-two case histories, each describing the process of music therapy from beginning to end. The cases include children, adolescents, and adults receiving individual and group therapy in psychiatric, medical, educational or community settings. With authors from nine countries, the book details a broad spectrum of approaches and techniques in music therapy. The essence of music therapy is captured by telling the moving stories of people who have been helped through carefully crafted music experiences and the relationships developed with these exceptional music therapists. The book can be used as a reference, a textbook for training students, or as an introduction to the field.

A collection of 21 case studies exemplifying psychodynamic music therapy, informed variously by the theories of Freud, Jung, Klein, Winnicott, Stern, Kohut, Mahler, Bion, and others. Experienced music therapists from 9 countries describe their work with children, adolescents, and adults, using diverse methods, such as improvisation, songs, music imaging, and music listening.

Music therapy is growing internationally to be one of the leading evidence-based psychosocial allied health professions to meet needs across the lifespan.The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy is the most comprehensive text on this topic in its history. It presents exhaustive coverage of the topic from international leaders in the field.

Gudrun Aldridge and David Aldridge explore the concept of melody within its historical context and investigate current theories of melody. They make recommendations for choosing an appropriate method of analysing melodic improvisation, and utilise case studies to demonstrate these analyses in practice.

"There are marvelous case studies in the music therapy literature that paint a beautiful, complex picture of the client's therapeutic process in music therapy. Clinical Decision-making in Music Therapy, however, offers cases that are not just about the client and their therapeutic process, but specifically about the music therapist's clinical choices and why they made them in relation to the needs of the client. This book contains 53 cases from music therapy clinicians from around the world including work with diverse clientele from across the lifespan in a wide variety of settings. Each case includes a discussion of the music therapist's clinical choices, their reflection on the case, and a description of their context in relation to their clinical work. Cases are arranged according to the method-variation used, with additional sections that focus on a transition from one method-variation to another. Students will find these cases useful for exploring and understanding clinical decision-making for working with clientele with unique strengths and needs. Professionals may find the cases useful for expanding their ways of thinking and acting within their clinical work, and deepening their awareness of how they respond to the emergent needs of clients"--