Rebecca West, Ph.D., MT-BC

Contact

rwest2@twu.edu
940-898-2507
MUS 201

Biography

Dr. Rebecca West (she/her/hers) is celebrating her third year as a Music Therapy faculty at TWU and her 15th year as a board-certified music therapist. Rebecca has worked with a wide range of individuals including autistic children, children with developmental or intellectual disabilities; adolescents from limited resource communities or histories of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation; adults recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury; and older adults with Parkinson’s Disease or Alzheimer’s Disease. Rebecca is the co-author of: Individualized education program team members’ perceptions of music therapy: An interpretivist investigation (2021); Social skills instruments for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A critical interpretive synthesis (2020); A Music Therapy Feasibility Study with Adults on a Hospital Neuroscience Unit: Investigating Service User Technique Choices and Immediate Effects on Mood and Pain (Arts in Psychotherapy, 2019), Experiences of Music Therapy Students Working as Camp Counselors for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Thematic Analysis (Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 2018), and Music Therapy Social Skills Assessment and Documentation Manual: Clinical Guidelines for Group Work with Children and Adolescents (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2014). Rebecca has delivered oral and paper presentations on music therapy and creative arts therapy at regional and national conferences, and served on music therapy committees at the state, regional, and national level. She is a member of the American Music Therapy Association.

Education

Ph.D., Music Education, Cognate in Music Therapy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
M.M., Music Therapy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
B.A., Liberal Studies, Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN

Expertise

Music Therapy

Latest Articles

Individualized education program team members' perceptions of music therapy: An interpretivist investigation
Journal of Music Therapy (2021)
Rebecca West, Amy Furman, Michael J Silverman

Social Skills Instruments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis
Journal of Music Therapy (2020)
Rebecca West, Michael J Silverman

A music therapy feasibility study with adults on a hospital neuroscience unit: Investigating service user technique choices and immediate effects on mood and pain
Arts in Psychotherapy, The (2020)
Rebecca West, Michael J Silverman

Experiences of music therapy students working as camp counselors for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A thematic analysis
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (2018)
Michael J Silverman, Rebecca West, Edward T Schwartzberg, Chantise Hunt, Melody R Peterson

Recent Presentations

Critical pedagogy within undergraduate music therapy curricula: A grounded theory exploration
American Music Therapy Association SW Regional Conference (2021)
Paper | Rebecca West

Integral Thinking: A Comprehensive Approach to Music Therapy
American Music Therapy Association Conference (2021)
Paper | Rebecca West, Della Molloy-Daugherty, Lauren DiMaio

Research Committee Presents--Checking Privilege in Research-Putting Concepts into Practice
American Music Therapy Association Conference (2021)
Paper | Sarah Biedka, Adenike Webb, Rebecca West, Ming Yuan Low

A Convergent Parallel Feasibility Study of a Two-Day Music Therapy Protocol on Pain and Mood in Women Recovering from Free Flap Reconstructive Breast Surgery
American Music Therapy Association Conference (2021)
Poster | Rebecca West, Michael J Silverman

Stories from three transracial adoptees: Navigating identity and applications for music therapy
American Music Therapy Association Conference (2020)
Paper | Rebecca West, Hilary Fredenburg, Jacob Uban

Critical pedagogy within undergraduate music therapy curricula: A grounded theory exploration.
American Music Therapy Association (2020)
Poster | Rebecca West

Critical pedagogy within undergraduate music therapy curricula: A grounded theory exploration.
American Music Therapy Association Conference (2020)
Paper | Rebecca West

Professional Affiliations

• American Music Therapy Association

Honors & Awards

• Outstanding Faculty Member, Housing and Dining Outstanding Academic Achievement (2022)