GET IN TOUCH
Music and Imagery
(MI) training
A brief history
Music and Imagery (MI) is part of the contemporary spectrum of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) which is a field of practice (Lawes, 2022).
GIM was first developed by US-based music therapist Helen Bonny in the 1970s. The original method developed, the Bonny Method of GIM, is a type of transformational depth psychotherapy. Whilst this remains a remarkable and important therapeutic method, it is not suitable for all clients, nor does it always provide the type of therapeutic experience that client's most need. As a result MI methods began to be developed that meet different types and levels of need. For many contemporary GIM practitioners in the UK and Europe, MI has become more important than the Bonny Method of GIM in addressing the needs of clients who may have wide-ranging and complex difficulties.
The Music and Imagery (MI) methods taught
The Music and Imagery (MI) methods taught by the Integrative GIM Training Programme were originally developed by US-based music therapist and GIM practitioner Lisa Summer as part of her Continuum Model of GIM (Summer, 2015). These MI methods involve the client engaging in mark/art-making or other expressive arts whilst listening to music chosen by the client with the therapist's help. The therapy can work well both online and in-person.
Level 1 training is in Supportive Music and Imagery (SMI) which is resource-oriented. Level 2 training is in Re-educative Music and Imagery (RMI) which is issue-oriented.
Supportive Music and Imagery (SMI) outline
Level 1 training (SMI) is complete and a qualification in itself. It equips therapists to deliver short-term therapy (e.g. a 6-session series) with individuals and groups, with young people and adults. SMI, which has a wide range of clinical application, is used to help clients develop and deepen the connection to their inner resources, strengths and resilience. The therapy is intended is to support client wellbeing and help clients better cope with the challenges of everyday living and the mental health issues they may struggle with.
SMI can be helpful for clients with a wide range of issues. It can be especially useful for clients who have experienced trauma. The internalised supportive resources developed through SMI can help clients find the emotional regulation and safety needed to begin the process of addressing trauma without feeling overwhelmed or becoming dissociated. Indeed, for all clients work on inner resources comes first and forms the foundation for work focused more directly on psychological and emotional issues (re-educative level work).
SMI training is complete in itself, where SMI can be an effective mental health intervention without additional re-educative level work necessarily needing to take place. Therapists are nevertheless recommended to consider completing Level 2 training in addition as this will significantly increase the scope of what they have to offer.
Re-educative Music and Imagery (RMI) outline
Those who satisfactorily complete Level I training (SMI) are eligible to undertake Level 2 (RMI). Therapists who complete Level 2 training (RMI) are eligible to be registered as MI therapists/practitioners with Music Imagery Hub.
RMI is used to help clients become better able to manage what may be uncomfortable or painful feelings, or feelings they find difficult to accept or are even little aware of to begin with, but that underlie their mental health issues and struggles. The process is more insight-oriented that in SMI, and can help clients develop new perspectives on their difficulties and patterns of engagement in life and relationships leading to change.
When therapist's are trained in both SMI and RMI, supportive and re-educative levels of work are both included and integrated in the therapeutic process according to client need as evaluated on a session to session basis. Thus, for example, in order for clients to safely and effectively address trauma, they need to be sufficiently resourced. This may entail the initial therapy sessions being resource-oriented before the client begins re-educative work focused more directly on the trauma. Following such work the client may need resourcing once again.
MI as a structured approach
MI is a systematic but flexible, client-centred approach. The efficacy of the method is tied both to the way individual sessions are structured involving the interplay and integration of creative and verbal processing, and to the way a session series is structured when this includes both supportive and re-educative level work.
With both SMI and RMI, sessions are structured in a similar way. This involves the therapist helping the client identify what to work on in the session, a collaborative process of music selection, the art-making and a final discussion. Sophisticated skills are required to facilitate each part of an MI session, with therapist's also needing to be able to adapt techniques used to meet the needs of some clients.
Training outline and requirements
Level 1 SMI training
The Level 1 training in SMI, taking place over two weekends online, covers all aspects of the delivery of SMI through didactic and experiential learning. Case presentation of work with children, adults and groups is included along with an integration of psychodynamic, music-centred, music sociology, art therapy, neurobiology-oriented (polyvagal) and trauma-informed theory. The training seminar is followed by a period of supervised client work, after which training group members present their clinical work to one another and receive further training in adapting the method before qualifying. The requirements to complete the course are to:
-
Develop and categorise a pool of SMI music (18 pieces) of diverse genres and cultures.
-
Receive a minimum of 3 SMI sessions from a qualified Music and Imagery Therapist (MIT).
-
Give and receive 3 SMI sessions with a training colleague.
-
Undertake personal SMI as self-care.
-
Deliver SMI to 2 clients, 7 sessions each.
-
Receive 4 individual and 3 small group supervisions.
-
Complete required reading responses.
-
Complete case summaries and self-reflective learning reports.
Those who satisfactorily complete the course and its requirements are awarded a Certificate in SMI and entitled to practice the method independently (the training programme insured to award qualifications/certificates of competence). Subject to the Primary Trainer’s recommendation, they will also be eligible to undertake the Level 2 training in Re-educative Music and Imagery (RMI) offered by the Integrative GIM Training Programme.
Level 2 RMI training
The Level 2 training in RMI also takes place over two weekends online with an additional day's training a few months later. The training involves didactic and experiential learning covering all aspects of the delivery of RMI, including its integration with SMI according to client need, and the use of MI to process the therapist's countertransference. Theory and case presentation is also included. The training seminar is followed by a period of supervised client work, after which training group members present their clinical work to one another before qualifying. The requirements to complete the course are to:
-
Receive a minimum of 6 RMI sessions with a qualified MI therapists within a session series that also includes SMI according to need.
-
Undertake SMI/RMI as self-care on a regular basis.
-
Deliver a minimum of 12 RMI sessions within series that also include SMI according to client need, with a minimum of 2 clients.
-
Use MI to process the therapist's countertransference.
-
Receive a minimum of 5 individual and 2 small group supervisions.
-
Develop and categorise a pool of RMI music (20 pieces).
-
Complete heuristic analysis of 2 RMI pieces, and brief analysis of 4 more.
-
Complete required reading responses.
-
Complete case summaries and self-reflective learning reports.
Upon satisfactory completion of all the course requirements, a Diploma in RMI is awarded.
Differentiating MI and music therapy
Although MI and GIM were developed by music therapists, other professionals including art therapists, psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists have always been able to train in these methods, representing a specialism or advanced form of practice. Such training does not nevertheless qualify these other professionals as music therapists (Lawes, 2022).
Because MI integrates talking therapy with music listening and art-making, it could potentially be identified not only as a type of music therapy, but alternatively as a type of art therapy, or as verbal therapy that incorporates music and other expressive arts. MI is nevertheless best identified as a therapeutic method in its own right, a specialism, in which qualified practitioners may additionally train and incorporate within their practice as music therapists, art therapists, counsellors etc.
All those eligible to train in MI with the Integrative GIM Training Programme (music therapists, art therapists, counsellors etc) have acquired therapeutic competencies or proficiencies (knowledge and skills) as a result of their original professional training. These competencies are developed and extended through training in MI. It is important to note that the competencies of a music therapist relate mostly to their acquired knowledge and skills in therapeutic approaches that involve active music-making and creating music. In contrast, the competencies required to practice MI relate to the use of music listening in therapy only. The specialist knowledge and skills in this area acquired through MI training are not acquired by music therapists in their original training. Music therapy and MI need to be differentiated in this sense also.
In the UK, it is unlawful for anyone to claim or imply that they are a music therapist unless registered with the HCPC as such. Therefore, to avoid confusing the public and other professions about who is and is not qualified as a music therapist, and can therefore practice music therapy safely and effectively, Music Imagery Hub and the Integrative GIM Training Programme differentiate MI from music therapy: training in MI is not training in music therapy. The US-based Association for Music and Imagery (AMI) similarly clarifies that GIM training is not music therapy training and advises non-music therapists trained in GIM against identifying it as a type of music therapy as this would imply the practitioner is a music therapist, misleading the public.
MI practitioners registered with Music Imagery Hub identify the profession of which they are a member, along with the regulating body to which they are professionally accountable and any additional training they have completed such as in MI, EMDR etc