Rhythm to Recovery: A Practical Guide to Using Rhythmic Music, Voice and Movement for Social and Emotional Development

Combining rhythmic music and movement with cognitive reflection and mindfulness, this comprehensive handbook shows how drumming and other rhythm-based exercises can have a powerful effect in individual, group and family settings. Incorporating the latest research on how rhythmic music impacts the brain, this book features over 100 different exercises spanning five key developmental areas: social and emotional learning; identity and culture; strengths and virtues; health and wellbeing; and families, teams and communities. It offers a safe entry to cognitive reflection through fun, experiential rhythmic exercises and is useful for working in settings such as school, child and adolescent counselling settings, mental health and drug and alcohol interventions, trauma counselling and relational counselling. Important sections on the use of metaphor and analogy show how to reinforce experiential outcomes. The book also contains helpful sections on working with specific populations, key facilitation skills and managing challenging behaviours. Downloadable resources such as evaluation forms, certificates and 52 session cards optimise the process of implementing this approach in practice.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by James Oshinsky, Ph.D. Introduction. Part One: Theory, Research and Resources. 1. Why Rhythm? 2. The R2R Model. 3. Individual, Family and Group Applications. 4. Working with Specific Populations. 5. Less Talk & More Rhythm - Options for the Non-Verbal. 6. Counselling and Facilitation Skills. 7. Drum-Circle Facilitation Skills. 8. The Context. 9. Resources - What You Need to Get Going. Part Two: Games, Exercises and Applications. 10. A Rhythm Catalogue. 11. The Rhythmic Wave - Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation. 12. Sessional Themes and Rhythmic Exercises. 13. Rhythmic Movement. 14. Rhythmic Voice. 15. Five Key Analogies. 16. Additional Games and Exercises. 17. Reflective Practice and Evaluative Resources. 18. Further Reading. References. Appendices.

About the Author :
Simon Faulkner is a leading practitioner, trainer and keynote speaker specialising in the design and delivery of evidence-based interventions utilising rhythm to assist with social and emotional learning and recovery from trauma. He has extensive experience of working with different populations, including young people, refugees, people with complex diagnoses such as autism and Asperger syndrome, parents and corporate employees. He developed the multi-award-winning DRUMBEAT intervention, the only music programme to gain a 5 star evidence rating as a mental health intervention and the first to be recognised as an accredited unit of curriculum for social and emotional learning. He lives in Western Australia and delivers training internationally.

Review :
In a thorough and insightful way, using the highly engaging medium of community drumming, Simon Faulkner has created Rhythm2Recovery, a sequenced model for imparting social awareness to a variety of populations not readily reached by more common counselling methods. His activities are simple to understand, meticulously researched, and powerfully impactful in lasting ways. In Rhythm 2 Recovery, Simon Faulkner has distilled years of successful, evidence-based practice into a comprehensive series of highly accessible rhythmic exercises and reflective starting points that will be a valuable addition to any therapeutic practitioner's toolkit. What's more, he has opened up the field of rhythm work in such a way that no prior musical expertise is needed to be able to use these exercises - making this accessible to therapists, educators and group leaders who may never have considered using rhythm in their work until now. Highly recommended! If you are now working with, or ever planning to work with, any type of at risk population in schools, behavioral centres, hospitals, drug and alcohol rehabs, mental health rehabs, trauma services, prisons or child protection services, then you cannot afford to miss an opportunity to learn from the body of work Simon Faulkner provides in this new book. Over the past several years Simon Faulkner has trained a large number of our school counsellors in using rhythmic based interventions. This model has been of great value for them in both individual and group work. The manual and the cards are easy to follow and very practical. My team have had great success working with children, adolescents, older people and residents in rehabilitation centres. The versatility of the Rhythm2Recovery model makes it suitable for use with a variety of ages and presentations - from students who are very anxious and withdrawn to those that have difficulty with emotional regulation and substance abuse. Everyone benefits from drumming - the participants are able to address issues and communicate while having fun and the facilitators enjoy it too. Simon Faulkner gets to the soul of rhythm and its potent use when working with individuals, families, and groups of all ages. This book is a treasure. It's a must-have for anyone working in a therapeutic or educational context. When words get in the way, tune in to the principles that Rhythm2Recovery offers in this packed filled resource book. The beauty of what Simon offers with the Rhythmn2Recovery model is its flexibility. I am able to tailor the program to the needs of the group. Whether in sessions with individuals all the way through to larger groups, R2R allows me the flexibility to address any number of issues that come up and for any length of time.