A qualitative exploration of music therapy practice development in intellectual disability services in Ireland: “The future is the community”

Introduction: The task of music therapy service development is one that is faced by many music therapists worldwide as they expand their professional practice. While general strategies for effective service development have been highlighted, little is known about successful development of music therapy programmes within the context of intellectual disability (ID) services as a leading employment sector in Ireland. Method: This study explored perspectives on music therapy service development within ID organisations in Ireland. Six music therapists and three music therapy managers who had experience of working in ID participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Analysis of nine interviews revealed four main themes including (1) Music therapist’s unexpected realities of service development, (2) Ingredients of successful music therapy service development including a) Getting the pitch right, b) Looking through the manager lens and c) Careful and sustainable scheduling, (3) The educational role of the music therapist in ID settings and (4) The value of a flexible and community-oriented approach to music therapy service development. Discussion: Findings suggest that when developing new music therapy programmes in ID music therapists may benefit from remaining curious, flexible and clearly focussed on how their service can best address service user needs. While this pursuit makes navigation of unchartered territory highly likely, we recommend being mindful of the transferability of the music therapy clinical skillset, engaging with other health professionals and exploring manager optics, while employing a theoretical approach that aligns with the organisational culture of the ID setting.