Ingeborg Nebelung: Expectations of Music Therapy within the Child Welfare Services.

Field of study: Music Therapy

Expectations of music therapy with children and adolescents in vulnerable life situations represent a complex and dynamic phenomenon that influences actions, attitudes, and relationships. This study explores how such expectations are shaped, negotiated, and understood, with the aim of contributing to more balanced and realistic expectations of music therapy in work with children and adolescents in vulnerable life situations. The study is grounded in a qualitative, exploratory research design and is a multiple instrumental case study inspired by institutional ethnography. Through three cases, 20 persons have been interviewed, and the dissertation examines expectations from three perspectives: (1) two child welfare leaders, (2) 14 music therapists and one drama therapist, and (3) three adolescents who have participated in music therapy.

Main research question

The dissertation addresses the main research question: "What expectations are associated with music therapy with children and adolescents in vulnerable life situations?"

The title of the dissertation is (translated from Norwegian): Expectations of music therapy with children and adolescents in vulnerable life situations – an exploratory instrumental multiple case study.

The study will be presented in three articles and a precis ("kappe"). The dissertation language is Norwegian.