Fedor, Megan, authorKnight, Andrew, advisorLaGasse, A. Blythe, committee memberKrafchick, Jen, committee member2020-09-072020-09-072020https://hdl.handle.net/10217/211996Previous research suggests that music therapy intervention may be helpful in the healing journey of survivors of sexual violence. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1. What symptom changes did participants experience as a result of an eight-week music therapy group? 2. How did participants perceive their experiences in an eight-week music therapy group? This mixed methods study was conducted using a one group pretest-posttest concurrent triangulation design. Participants (N=5) completed pretest measures of the TSC-40 and an initial interview before completing an eight-week music therapy group. Upon conclusion of the program, participants (n=4) completed the posttest measures of TSC-40, posttest questionnaire, and semi-structured interview. Participants (n=4) demonstrated overall improvement in TSC-40 full scale and subsets from pretest to posttest suggesting efficacy of music therapy intervention. Furthermore, participants (N=5) reported positive perceptions of the music therapy group. An analysis of qualitative data revealed the eight coded themes of mood modulation, drumming, sense of community, emotional processing, vulnerability/opening, music therapy process, increased comfort, and coping skills. These eight coded subthemes overlapped to reveal the four broader themes of music, exploration and expression of trauma-associated feelings, formation of trust, and perceived positive change. Clinician-delivered interventions in the context of group music therapy have the potential to effect positive change for survivors of sexual violence. Future research should focus on replication of existing studies to address effectiveness of music therapy intervention across specific survivor subset populations with the goal of determining dosage, optimal program length, and most effective music therapy interventions. As individuals continue to be victimized and survivors continue to come forward, the music therapy field requires the creation and implementation of additional trauma-specific groups to meet the ongoing needs of college-aged survivors of sexual violence.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.sexual violencemusic therapytraumaText