What Do We Do? Music Therapy and Assessment: Considerations for 21st Century Practice

Assessment is a process well-recognised as an essential basis for any music therapy work. However, very little has been published focusing specifically on the theory, practice, and research of assessment in the music therapy profession. Rather, information is fragmented (Sabbatella 2004) and inconsistent. This article offers an overview of documented concepts and deduced definitions in a clinical context, based on the author’s own research and reflection. It expands upon the author’s oral presentation of the same title (Churchill 2014), summarising part of her Master’s research thesis (Churchill 2012).