Music Therapy at the End of Life - Second Edition

The second edition of Music Therapy at the End of Life edited by Cheryl Dileo and Mariagrazia Baroni has been designed as a textbook on music therapy for pediatric and adult patients receiving hospice care. Comprised of 78 chapters (685 pages) with contributions by 65 music therapy experts from around the world, the book is divided into 4 parts.

Part I is designed to provide foundational information on hospice and hospice music therapy, including terminology and a review of research.

Part 2, Music Therapy Practice at the End of Life, comprises the bulk of the book. Included are descriptions of theory, assessment, roles of the therapist, and developmental issues in practice. The various methods used in hospice music therapy are organized according to Dileo & Dneaster’s (2005) 3 levels of practice in hospice music therapy (Level I-Symptom Management; Level 2: Emotional Expression and Communication; and Level 3: Transformation. Where relevant, separate method chapters are written for adults and pediatric patients. Also included in Part 2 are chapters that describe special types of hospice methods, patients, and settings. The section on Specialized Music Therapy Methods comprises those methods relevant to hospice care that also require separate training, such as Guided Imagery and Music. Special Client Groups are described in the following section; these include patients with dementia, perinatal or premature babies, veterans, patients who have experienced trauma, and patients’ families, siblings, and caregivers. Non-traditional settings for music and music therapy are provided in the next section, including prisons, public health, community death education, hospice choirs, and humanitarian crises. Religion and cultural issues comprise ten chapters at the end of Part 2. These include information on the major world religions, and cultural considerations for working with Hispanic/Latino, African-American, Asian, Indian, Arabic, Israeli, First Peoples, and LGBTQ+ patients.
 
Part 3 is focused on educational and professional issues. This part includes chapters on ethics, education, supervision, working with teams, therapist self-care, and professional grief.
 
Part 4 is focused on advancing hospice music therapy. Four chapters written by music therapists who have become hospice administrators comprise the first half of this part, and the remaining chapters provide information on promoting and advocating for hospice music therapy as well as recommendations for the future.