| Abstract [eng] |
In our country, increasingly talking about the aspiration to become a welfare state, the country is not yet able to meet the need for all social services and ensure their quality. There is still a lack of a clear concept of the state of how to use the newest occupational methods to help people with intellectual disabilities, who attend social services day care centres, where not only the development of occupational skills, but also psychological, social integration development and emotional assistance is important. Recipients of services, affected by the environment and progressive diseases, experience various negative psychological states and are extremely sensitive to even the slightest problems they face. Taking into account the good practices of foreign and Lithuanian researchers in the application of music therapy in social activity, an environment is formed in which no research has been conducted yet in Lithuania on how it would be possible to combine the application of music therapy for people with intellectual disabilities with the development of the social worker’s competencies in the context of professionalization. The research aims to justify the application of the new method in the long-term perspective of the social worker’s professionalization for people with intellectual disabilities. The object of the research is the impact of music therapy on persons with intellectual disabilities in the context of the professionalization of social work. The aim of the Master’s thesis is to reveal the impact of music therapy on persons with intellectual disabilities in the context of the professionalization of social work. The methods of the research. From the ontological aspect, the chosen ecological systems theory focuses researchers on a long-term impact, when a long-term result that changes society is expected rather than a short-term one focused on the individual. From the epistemological aspect, the work is inseparable from the interactive ethnographic approach, which substantiates the choice of ecological systems theory and the impact of music therapy conducted by the social worker not only on the individual but also on other environments surrounding him/her as well as the client’s behaviour changing in these environments. Methods of data collection: observation with video recording, survey, semi-structured interview. Data processing: the methods of video data, drawing, content analysis. The chosen methods allowed not only to look at the research object from different angles, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under investigation by answering the research questions posed: How useful is music therapy for people with intellectual disabilities in the context of social work? How useful is the authorial research methodology developed by the researchers for the application of music therapy for the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities in the context of social assistance? To what extent are the research participants able to express their feelings and evaluate the process of music therapy, to influence the social worker’s activities related to music therapy? To what extent and how does such activity expand the boundaries of the social worker’s profession? The results of the research. In the context of quality of life and social assistance, the ability to recognize and express emotions in words has been successfully revealed in music and drawings. The desire to improvise, convey feelings, reflect real experiences and design the most immediate desires and the aspiration to implement them has been revealed. The research participants are able to perceive their emotions “here and now”, intuitively feel the vibrations of music, can independently assess and decide in which musical activities they want to participate. The benefits of music therapy are reflected in the increase in energy and willingness to participate in other activities of the day, the individuals also become calmer, more focused and attentive, there is no desire to participate in conflicts or to provoke them themselves, as a consequence, the impact of music therapy manifests itself not only in the participants in the therapy but also in the environment around them. The relationship with the social worker based on cooperation and listening increases the research participants’ confidence in themselves and music therapy that promotes positive emotions. The social worker must adapt to the needs of the research participants and be flexible in musical activities, in case of need, improvise and adjust tasks in order to promote the musical expression and positive emotions of the research participants. |
