A systematic review of school-based music therapy practices through the lens of integral thinking in music therapy

The purpose of this systematic review was to explore school-based music therapy practices through the lens of Integral Thinking in Music Therapy (ITMT). This study aimed to address two research questions. 1) What does the literature reveal about the practices of school-based music therapy according to ITMT? 2) What ITMT recommendations can be made from critically reviewing this literature? 15 articles were selected based upon the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. The results indicated a lack of literature regarding the referral, assessment, and evaluation process of school-based music therapy practices. The results also revealed that most school-based music therapy practices are outcome thinking based, with 13 out of 15 articles. Context thinking was prevalent in school-based music therapy practices, with 10 out of 15 articles. Experience thinking had the least articles, with 6 out of 15. Future recommendations are discussed.