Roia Rafieyan: Presentations

Visitors are more than welcome to use the information in these handouts, but please give credit where it is due.
To cite these handouts:
Rafieyan, R. (Year, Month Day) (Title of Presentation Handout). Retrieved from http://www.roiamusic.com/press.html.

Paying Attention: Lessons Learned from My Clients

Pay attention to what’s going on for your clients
The physical
*Sensory/movement issues?
*Medical issues?
*Environmental issues?

The historical
*What has gone on in this person’s life- including trauma history (biography)?
*Patterns of behavior and contexts within which they occur?
*Relationships with family, peers, staff (and any changes in these)?

The musical
*How does the person use music?
*Which instruments/sounds does s/he gravitate toward (vocal or instrumental)?
*Meaningful music?

The right now experience
*What’s going on in the relationship and how is my client responding to the experience?
*How is the person using music/sound/behavior to connect/disconnect?
*What questions are coming up for you as therapist?

Pay attention to what’s going on for you
The physical
*What are my somatic reactions during the session?
*Do I have a pattern of responding in a particular way?
*How am I feeling physically on a given day?

The historical
*Have I done my own therapy work (aware of my own issues)?
*How much support do I need to do this work?
*What beliefs and ideas do I carry with me?

The musical
*Have I taken care of myself musically?
*What are my musical blocks (fears) and needs?
*What role does music play in my life?


The right now experience
*What’s going on in the relationship and how am I responding to the experience?
*What patterns are emerging (for my client and for me)?
*What thoughts, fantasies, songs etcetera, are running through my head while we’re working together?

Pay attention to what’s going on in the music
The physical
*What instruments are we using (vocal/instrumental? quality of sounds produced?)?
*Are you/your client mainly using your voice or playing instruments?
*Use of silence?

The historical
*Which music has been important to this person and to you as therapist as you’ve worked together?
*Do any particular songs trigger any particular reactions for your clients?
*Musical themes which you/your client keep coming back to?

The musical
*How musical are we being (aesthetics)?
*Is the music being neglected entirely?
*What role is the music taking on within the context of psychodynamics?

The right now experience
*Why am I playing right now (what am I hoping to find out? What am I looking for?)
*What is going on in the music right now?
*Who is playing/singing what right now?


Pay attention by:
*Reflecting and interpreting
*Learning more from reading, asking a lot of questions, taking classes, other disciplines
*Listening more (especially to people who have autism)
*Do your own work (get therapy, get supervision, join a peer supervision group)
*Be aware/mindful
*Ask yourself questions and be willing to find out the answers
*Consider “whose need am I meeting here?”
*Learn to tolerate ambivalence, ambiguity, not knowing, uncertainty

Reflecting and Interpreting

Reflecting: The process of asking ourselves "Who is this person? What is s/he doing?"

“...the therapist improvises to match moods
or feelings that the client is expressing through music...body language..., or verbalizations. Musical reflection may also include improvising a musical impression of the client’s personality.” Bruscia (1987)

Reflecting- thoughtful- thinking- reproducing- contemplating- pondering- speculating

When you reflect you:
*are not echoing- it is more of a commentary that you are making out loud to yourself.
*make musical or verbal "comments".
*get the client used to the fact that when he does something you're going to be commenting on it.
*as he "gets" this concept, when he does something new, he might be able to help you understand him better.
*learn about how your client relates to the world.
*you are not stopping this person from showing you how he relates to the world because you are not asking him to change his behavior, and you are not trying to control him.
*help your clients to make their actions more conscious by talking/playing about what they're doing or seem to be experiencing.
*are telling your client "What you're experiencing is valid, it's reality, and you have a right to feel that way."
*model acceptance of your client's feelings, so that he can see that his feelings are acceptable.
*model a way to express feelings musically, so eventually they can put their feelings into the music
*are gradually helping your client to develop a musical language or vocabulary
*learn about how client sees you (transference)- are you a whole person to him? or does he see you in terms of the function that you serve for him? What role from his life has he "given" you to play?
*letting your clients know you want to hear more.

Interpreting: The process of asking ourselves: "What is the story? What does what this person is doing mean to him/her?"

“The therapist offers possible explanations or meanings for the client’s experiences.” Bruscia (1987)

Interpreting- explaining- illustrating- representing- delineating- describing- clarifying- formulating

When you are interpreting you:
*are telling your client: "I noticed your action (Reflection), I am now interested in finding out what it means for you."
*are looking for patterns of behavior- what keeps coming up?
*are looking to see which actions are repeated and when?
*are looking at what your client chooses to do
*are trying to figure out why he chooses to do it that way
*are helping them to attach a meaning to their actions by connecting words or music to actions
*are establishing communication
*are helping the client to become aware of those patterns using music and/or words
*are helping them to get to a point where they can make a choice of whether or not to indulge in a particular behavior
*are giving your client the message that: "What you do has meaning in the world"