2026-10-12T16:18:18Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34021479 2026-09-29T05:48:15Z category_33764 portal_771 item_type_8 month_year_09_2026

The Influence of Language Barriers on Building Therapeutic Relationship in Music Therapy Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand: An Arts-Based Reflexive Phenomenology Ting-Wei Lin (25135551) Music therapy Music therapy Language challenges Arts-based Therapeutic relationship School: New Zealand School of Music 420103 Music therapy Degree Discipline: Music Therapy Degree Name: Master of Music Therapy Degree Level: Masters <p><strong>This research explores the influence of language barriers on the development of therapeutic relationships between the researcher (an international music therapy student) and music therapy participants in both educational and community settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study focuses on the researcher’s individual and subjective experiences while conducting sessions in a non-native language, investigating how these barriers affect aspects of therapeutic presence, empathy, and attunement.</strong></p><p>Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and framed within a reflexive phenomenological and arts-based approach, this qualitative research seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of the researcher’s lived experiences. Naturalistic secondary data, including reflection journals, clinical notes, and supervision notes, allowed the researcher to examine personal encounters with language barriers. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data, facilitating deeper introspection and identifying emerging themes. The six themes were identified: foundational values, experiencing barriers, emotional landscape, sense of self, navigating through vulnerability, and compensating for and finding alternative pathways. The research spanned from February to November 2025.</p><p>This study sought to enhance the researcher’s self-awareness regarding language barriers, promoting confidence and self-compassion when encountering similar challenges in music therapy practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Furthermore, it contributes valuable insights to the field of music therapy, addressing a gap in current literature and offering recommendations for institutions and professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand.</p> 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Text Thesis 10.26686/6yay-c86e https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_Influence_of_Language_Barriers_on_Building_Therapeutic_Relationship_in_Music_Therapy_Practice_in_Aotearoa_New_Zealand_An_Arts-Based_Reflexive_Phenomenology/34021479 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0