Alexandra Georgaki

Indicative thesis title: The development and use of shared history in music therapy with young children with autism: A mixed methods study.

Background

Supervisory team: Prof Amelia Oldfield (1st), Prof Helen Odell-Miller (2nd)

Alexandra is investigating how shared histories develop between music therapists and young children with autism during improvisational music therapy.

In this mixed methods study Alexandra is looking at her own clinical work alongside the work of other music therapists who also work with young children with autism and use an improvisational model. Through video analysis and semi structured interviews, she explores the processes that take place while therapists and children are improvising together and developing a language and content shared and meaningful for the two of them.

Since 2005, Alexandra has worked as a music therapist in schools, hospital, and community settings with people with autism, with severe and profound learning difficulties, with people with acquired brain injuries and with children who suffer from cancer and she has been supervising music therapy trainees.

She has been involved with research, working for the TIME-A project, an international RCT, running music therapy sessions for young children with autism and parent advisory sessions for their parents. She has widely presented her work in national and international conferences.

Research interests

• Autism
• Music therapy processes
• Interdisciplinary work
• Family music therapy

Qualifications

• MA, Music Therapy: Anglia Polytechnic University of Cambridge, UK
• Diploma, Piano Performance: Conservatorium “Mousiki Techni”, Athens, Greece
• BA, Early Childhood Education: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
• Diploma, Counterpoint: Music School “Iridanos”, Athens, Greece

Selected recent publications

Ellinor, J., Georgaki, A., (2018) Collaborations and Transitions Between Schools and Arts Therapy Modalitie, in Oldfield A. and Carr M. (eds), Collaborations within and between dramatherapy and music therapy: experiences, challenges and opportunities in clinical and training contexts. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.129-145.

Recent presentations and conferences

Georgaki A., Sunderland H., 2015, (paper presentation). “Speech and language therapy and music therapy: Using a collaborative approach to develop attention and communication skills in young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and learning disabilities” CPLOL European Congress Florence, Italy, May 2015.

Georgaki A., Breucker, L., 2016, (paper presentation). “Redefining our roles - Parent counselling sessions offered alongside music therapy with children with autism.” Re-Visioning our Voice: Resourcing music therapy for contemporary needs, BAMT conference, April, 2016.

Georgaki A., 2019 (paper presentation). “Shared stories and histories in Music Therapy with children and adolescents with learning difficulties.” ARU MA Music Therapy 25th anniversary conference, Cambridge, UK, September 2019.