Economics of Therapy

Daniel Thomas has been a music therapist since 2002 and started his first arts therapy business in 2005. Through the development of Chroma, established in 2013 as a national provider of arts therapy services, Daniel has garnered a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in running a large therapy business. Daniel has presented his ongoing research in Scandinavia, Australia and the UK.Vicky Abad is a Registered Music Therapist with extensive national and international management, clinical and research experience in paediatric and early intervention music therapy and music early learning. Vicky started her own business Boppin' Babies in 2007, and over the years has grown it in response to client needs while balancing this with market demand and family life. She has a keen understanding of the intricacies of running an arts therapy business in today's busy world. She has presented her research and lectured in music therapy, music early learning and business management internationally.

This book provides new and much-needed perspectives on the value of creative arts therapies. It challenges assumptions that have led arts therapists to feel uncomfortable about the exchange of money for service. It does this by providing inspiring examples and business models that show why the time has come to significantly expand ways of providing services to the people whose health and wellbeing we care about.

• Introduction. Daniel Thomas, UK, Vicky Abad, University of Queensland, Australia, Editors. 1. The Economics of Therapy - Caring for clients, colleagues, commissioners and cash-flow. Daniel Thomas and Vicky Abad, Editors. 2. Commissioners and Service Development. Dr Alison Ledger, PhD, Lecturer - Clinical Education and Research, Leeds Institute of Medical Education, UK. 3. RAILE - Using core clinical skills to grow arts therapy businesses. Vicky Abad and Daniel Thomas, Editors. 4. The Dilemma for arts therapists - fee-setting and demanding money. Elena Fitzthum, Dr Sc. Mus. Co-founder and head of the Viennese Institute of Music Therapy, and the Austrian representative of the EMTC. Monika Geretsegger, PhD, Senior Researcher at the Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, Uni Research Health, Bergen, Norway. Thomas Stegemann, Dr. Med, Dr. Sc. Music, Head of the Department of Music Therapy at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria. 5. Ethics & Transparency. Stine Lindahl Jacobsen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Head of Music Therapy Programme, Aalborg University, Denmark. 6. Therapy and business skills teaching within therapy training courses. Dr. Petra Kerm, MT-DtMT, MT-BC, MTA, NICU-MT, Owner Music Therapy Biz. 7. The American Perspective. Dr. Rebecca Zarate, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT, AVPT, Lesley University. 8. Case Study - Developing an Arts Therapy Practice. Elaine Matthews Venter. 9. Case Study - Managing Business Growth from the Bottom Up... Turning your small and niche passion into a business. Vicky Abad, Editor. 10. Case Study - Independence, Passion and Resilience: Learning to think big from the start. Daniel Thomas, Editor. 11. Case Study - Striking a Balance: Music Therapist vs Businessman in Hong Kong. Kingman Chung. Index.