Читать книгу The Creative Arts in Counseling - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 55

Most people in groups wish to be in concert with themselves and humanity. They are also looking to see where they fit in with others. Music provides an avenue for clients to assess themselves and others. Music can be especially powerful in a group at its beginning or end. Select music can help set an upbeat or a sedate tone when clients first enter the group room. For example, beginning a group by drumming is a “unique way to jump start conversations about group dynamics and each person’s role in them” (Camilleri, 2002, p. 264). In addition, drumming may immediately improve the moods of those who participate in it and thus enhance the beginning of a group (Mungas & Silverman, 2014). Likewise select music or music activities during termination can help instill in clients a sense of closure and can promote integration (Plach, 1996). A number of songbooks, such as Rise Up Singing (Blood & Patterson, 1992), contain a wealth of songs about subjects ranging from faith to friendships; they can be used to introduce music into a group at any stage, especially one that contains people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

Hodas (1994) reported using music in a mixed group of White and Black male adolescents to help the group handle anger, learn coping skills, and appreciate universal truths about human nature. In this group, a variety of songs, some of which were even violent, were played. The group members came to realize through the music that when wrongs occur in society more constructive actions than revenge can and should be taken.

Stephens et al. (1998) used hip-hop music, also known as rap music, in an HIV/AIDS preventive counseling format with Black adolescents and young adults to educate these populations about protective factors for HIV. They contended that the overall implications of using hip-hop music in health promotion with Black youth are limited because this method makes use of culturally relevant materials to address the educational and health needs of the target community and is grounded in an approach that serves to stimulate cooperative learning based on peer-developed content. Moreover, the use of this medium can be applied to other health promotion activities such as violence/harm reduction and substance abuse prevention, upon reviews of songs for appropriate content. In addition, hip-hop influences men’s willingness to disclose emotion or even to inquire about counseling. Emotional writing, such as in hip-hop, is a form of counseling suggested to be particularly effective with male clients (I. Levy & Keum, 2014).

Music also has a place in the healing and helping process with survivors of sexual abuse (MacIntosh, 2003). Through the use of music, spontaneity is evoked and participants in the group become involved on a sensory and feeling level with the group or counselor. In the process, group members become fully present in a new way and become more involved in their relationships with others. Specific musical techniques used by MacIntosh (2003) include breathing and tone techniques, song writing in groups, and playing the drums.