Young peoples' lived experiences of multidisciplinary mental health assessment in an intensive day program.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore young peoples' lived experiences of multidisciplinary mental health assessment in an intensive mental health day program. METHOD: Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied to data from semi-structured interviews with six males, aged 13-16 years. Member-checking interviews were conducted to ensure the trustworthiness of findings. RESULTS: Analysis revealed three themes, 'therapy fatigue', '360 supports' and 'experiential assessment'. Participants had either attended many years of psychological therapy without significant change or had failed to engage with therapy. Participants' attitudes changed at the day program with intensive support and their own determination. Participants valued experiential elements of assessment such as music therapy and art therapy which helped them understand the service, get to know others and experience positive emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Unsuccessful psychological treatment can leave young people feeling jaded and reluctant to engage with services. The potential for iatrogenic harm should be monitored and alternative approaches, such as intensive, multidisciplinary treatment including music therapy and art therapy considered to help young people overcome therapy fatigue, regain hope and reengage with mental health services.

How musical engagement promotes well-being in education contexts: the case of a young man with profound and multiple disabilities.

Students with profound intellectual disabilities disorders (IDDs) have the right to participate in educational opportunities that recognize their unique resources and needs, as do all children. Because of their specific communication challenges, positive relationships with attentive communication partners are critical for success. In fact, the power of positive relationships in schools is recognized to be connected to student well-being more broadly. This article examines the case of one young man with profound IDD and his relationship with his music therapist using a duo-ethnographic informed paradigmatic case study. Video analysis based on multi-voice perspectives is used to generate hermeneutic phenomenological findings to closely examine the relationship between a young man with profound IDD and a music therapist. The voices of four allied health researchers were also gathered to inform the authors' construction of an informed commentary on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the essence lay in a combination of attentive, responsive and creative being with the other person over time. Four principles of musical engagement were identified in the video footage as critical to the meaningful relationships through music: the music therapist listens; the music therapist takes responsibility for structure; spontaneous initiation is sought from the young person; and the relationship is built over time. These concepts are contextualized within a discussion of student well-being that is underpinned by positive relationships and leads to students achieving their full potential within diverse school contexts.