At the outset, I would describe this paper as an attempt to assimilate questions, thoughts and experiences which have arisen from research into music therapy with autistic children and their mothers, carried out from September, 1986, until July, 1987. The research was undertaken in partnership with Pierrette Muller, a research psychology student working for her Ph.D. Although results are not yet available, the actual experience of being involved in the project with the follow-up of what has happened since the specified research period ended, raises a number of questions in my mind together with a number of philosophical reflections. These I wish to share with you and emphasise that they are subjective.

This paper outlines fourteen sessions of analytical music therapy (Priestley 1975) spread over six months and a follow-up session thirteen weeks later. The client was a self-referred lady psychotherapist aged 60. She had one isolated problem which many sessions of psychotherapy had failed to touch, so in fact this was a focal music therapy. Her problem was that she could not play, or even practise the piano, if she felt anyone (including her teacher) was listening. If she did she had feelings of panic and had to stop. This reduced her playing to the very minimum and naturally hindered her progress and her enjoyment of this art. As she was approaching a more leisured time of life she felt that it was now crucial to try and overcome this anxiety. This paper is based on brief notes made after her sessions and a re-hearing of the recorded improvisations. The client's name and some circumstances have been concealed to preserve confidentiality. She has seen the case study and has given her permission to publish. In order to give the feeling of the inner meaning and emotional flavour of an utterance, words or sentences in quotes are the client's own. Discussion recorded before the improvisation took place before we played. The supervisor mentioned twice is the Jungian analyst, Dr. Redfearn, with whom the writer has discussed her work for several years. The 50-minute sessions were weekly as far as possible, but dates are given.

The aims of this study are to find ways of collecting appropriate clinical data consistently and to develop co-operative working relationships with clinical colleagues. Six hypotheses are generated from the relationship between the playing of improvised music and a person's health. The method of research is to collect quantitative and qualitative data, and use observations from several perspectives: the doctor, the therapist, the ward staff, the patient and the family. Data collection and observation would be closely linked to everyday clinical practice.

This article explores a personal experience of a music therapy training course. It attempts to identify that which constitutes the change from a musician to a music therapist, looking specifically at the personal challenge of self-discovery which is involved in that process.