Considering case formulation and decision-making processes in music therapy assessment and treatment planning

Introduction: Two approaches to assessment and treatment planning, case formulation and decision-making, are presented and compared in order to consider what each bring to music therapy clinical practice. Method: Case formulation processes are compared with decision-making processes to illuminate the differences inherent to each approach. Special attention is given to differences related to data collection, use of theory, therapist expertise, client collaboration, context, and power. Results: Clear differences in these two assessment and treatment planning processes emerge, particularly in the ways in which the client is understood, the ways in which the client’s needs are contextualized and the ways in which they might be engaged as collaborators in the therapy process. Discussion: Considering these two different perspectives offers opportunities for music therapists to reflect on how they position themselves in relation to clients–particularly in terms of the extent to which power, desire, collaboration, and equity are realized within the therapeutic relationship. The context in which therapy takes place is also considered differently in each approach, and this has implications for the way the client’s needs are understood. When considered as a whole, this article invites further discussion about how music therapists conceptualize the personhood of clients, and how this impacts the way therapy unfolds.