The Transformation Design Model
Learning about the Transformational Design Model (TDM) in the symposium allowed me to better understand the steps involved in creating an effective plan for clients. The TDM provides a template for sessions, where music therapists can clearly state the steps they will take to help a client achieve functional therapeutic goals. Beginning with assessing the client’s strengths and needs as step one, a goal is determined as step two. For step three, the music therapist describes what will hopefully be the results, determined by the goal. An important note about this step is that the result should be a nonmusical behavior. It is in step four that the therapist describes how he or she will incorporate musical experiences to help the client work towards the goal. Interventions and preferred techniques, such as Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) techniques, are included in step four. Finally, the TDM concludes with ways the client will take what they accomplished musically and transfer it back to the real world in a functional manner. Step five requires the music therapist to fade out the music, and then the client will complete the goal on their own. This symposium topic was of great interest to me and now I understand the TDM more clearly. It is helpful to music therapists to provide structure in their session planning. But most importantly, it is beneficial to clients, due to the structure leading them to achieve the desired result in real life situations through the encouragement of music.
-Tara
