Wave Hello, Say Goodbye: The effectiveness of single sessions with bereaved children.

Author:
Jane Mayhew
 

Abstract:
It could be suggested, that today’s European cultures seem to search for ‘quick fixes’ or instant solutions to long term difficulties or situations. The problems can range from financial issues, weight problems or relationship difficulties. Instant remedies rather than a longer term investment of time seem to be sought after. My presentation will focus upon whether some of these attitudes of ‘quick fixes’ are seeping into music therapy practices. Firstly, I will discuss the use and role of ‘single sessions’, by looking at the definitions and theoretical understandings. I will achieve this by examining the evolution of such sessions and the settings these sessions are taking place in. I will also briefly examine whether this is a practice within other creative arts therapies. I will specifically focus on working with bereaved children and discuss the place of loss and grief theories when adopting short term work.
My paper will look at three different single session situations. Firstly a single session with a bereaved sibling in a children’s hospice. Secondly a group session with bereaved children that are taking part in a grief support programme and finally looking at a classroom session for bereaved class mates. The presentation will include both audio and visual extracts. With this ongoing work, I would like to create dialogues in examining the effectiveness of single sessions. This presentation will be of particular interest to those working in settings that run ‘single-one-off’ sessions and with bereaved children, individually and in groups.

Biographical details:
Jane Mayhew has been working at Demelza House, Hospice Care for Children, www.demelzahouse.org  in Sittingbourne Kent, UK for the past nine years. Her second Masters degree focussed on developing a model of bereavement groups for bereaved siblings. She was invited to present her work at Sophia University in Tokyo in 2005 and has previously presented at both World and European music therapy conferences. Jane has also worked exclusively with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. She believes strongly in the work that Jessie’s Fund do www.jessiefund.org.uk  and took part in Music as Therapy volunteer project running music sessions in a children’s orphanage in Romania.

Keywords:

single sessions, groups, individuals, bereavement, children.