Monika Geretsegger
Monika Geretsegger
mg@hum.aau.dk
Qualifications:
Mag. art. [Master of arts] in Music Therapy, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria
Mag. rer. nat. [Master of sciences] in Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
Mag. phil. [Master of philosophy] in Linguistics, University of Vienna, Austria
Postgraduate studies “Clinical and Health Psychology”, University of Vienna, Austria
Current positions:
PhD student at the Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy, Aalborg University, Denmark (since November 2010)
Project employee at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria (since November 2010)
Music therapist at the Department for Social Psychiatry, Landesklinikum Weinviertel Hollabrunn, Austria (since March 2006)
Music therapist at private practice, Vienna, Austria (since November 2004)
President of Austrian Association of Music Therapists (ÖBM – Österreichischer Berufsverband der MusiktherapeutInnen; since June 2010)
Doctoral Study:
Title:
Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy on Social Communication Skills in Pre-school Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders – a Randomised Controlled Trial
Supervisors:
Prof. Dr. Christian Gold, Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre (GAMUT), Uni Research, Bergen, Norway
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ulla Holck, Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy, Aalborg University, Denmark
Summary:
This PhD project is aimed at investigating effects of improvisational music therapy on social communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder aged 4 to 7. Designed as a randomised controlled trial involving two experimental groups and one “standard care” condition, it also sets out to determine if variation in dose of treatment (i.e., number of music therapy sessions per week) affects outcome of therapy as measured by blinded assessors and parent reports.
Research Questions:
(1) Is music therapy superior to standard care in improving social communicative skills in children with ASD as assessed by independent clinicians at the end of the treatment period?
(2) Is music therapy superior to standard care in improving social responsiveness in children with ASD as assessed by parents/guardians at the end of the treatment period?
(3) Does the response to music therapy vary with variation of treatment intensity?
(4) Are any differences in social communicative skills between the music therapy and standard care groups retained at follow-up twelve months after randomisation?
Publications and presentations related to the PhD study:
Geretsegger, M., Holck, U., & Gold, C. (2012). Randomised controlled Trial of Improvisational Music therapy's Effectiveness for children with Autism spectrum disorders (TIME-A): Study protocol. BMC Pediatrics, 12(2). doi:10.1186/1471-2431-12-2
Geretsegger, M. (2011). Starting an RCT: Improvisational music therapy and social communication skills in autism. Music Therapy Today, 9, 114-115.
Geretsegger, M. (2012, June). Improvisational music therapy and autism spectrum disorders: inside and outside perspectives. Paper to be presented at the 7th Nordic Music Therapy Congress, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Geretsegger, M. (2011, July). Starting an RCT: Improvisational music therapy and social communication skills in autism. Paper presented at the 13th World Congress of Music Therapy, Seoul, South Korea.