Lifted On High: Measuring the Effects of Music Therapy With Women Surviving Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Poster presented at the 2023 SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity fair. Pictured here is student Leticia Marie Castro The proposed study is to develop an assessment conceptually quantifying the effects of Feminist-informed music therapy practices supporting the empowering components of Spirituals on women surviving intimate partner violence (IPV). The clinical application of feminist music therapy and culturally significant music has grown over the past couple of decades as the music therapy profession evolves with the societal issues of mental health and social justice. However, the publications of this work are often set in a qualitative format to describe the dynamic nature and effects of the music-making process. A quantitative measuring tool to capture the effects of Feminist-informed music therapy practices will help conceptualize the progress of the participants. A critical interpretive analysis will be utilized to synthesize the qualitative criteria of articles that contain clinical applications of feminist music therapy practices containing methodologies with qualitative criteria used to measure the progress of the clients. The empowering components of Spirituals will also be examined as additional or supportive material of qualitative criteria. Proposed is a measuring tool to present quantitative results of client progress in areas of empowerment, client engagement, and cultural responses. Areas are set along a Likert scale format to measure the effect of engagement in empowering, culturally significant music-making and enhance the accuracy of viewing a client\u27s progress through assessment, treatment, and evaluation of future clinical applications. Sub-areas will assess the researcher’s observation of a client\u27s affect and behavior and the client’s self-report of self-concept, emotional state, and behavior.https://dc.swosu.edu/rf_2023/1010/thumbnail.jp