Research Rigour and Therapeutic Flexibility: Rationale for a Therapy Manual Developed for a Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

When doing a randomised controlled trial, concrete and observable a–priori definitions and descriptions of therapy procedures are usually considered necessary for study results to be replicable, and also to enable comparisons between different therapy approaches. However, most music therapy approaches in the field of mental health cannot be defined with a fixed therapy manual without serious danger of losing their therapeutic integrity. Manuals defining therapeutic principles which can be applied flexibly, rather than a fixed set of techniques, might be more appropriate. In this article we will present the rationale for a therapy manual developed for the purpose of a randomized controlled trial on a contextual approach to resource–oriented music therapy. The article focuses upon possible ways of dealing with the tensions and contrasts that exist between the contextual and resource-oriented perspectives and the need for pre–structured definitions to meet the standards of the rigorous quantitative research methodology.

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