Outlines the development of a music therapy research project with adult recidivist offenders. Emphasis is given to the attempt to devise strategies appropriate to the needs of this particular client group, which has meant using methods that involve the clients themselves in the planning of research and in monitoring their own processes. The various stages in the preparation of a music therapy grid, based on G. A. Kelly's (1955) personal construct theory, are outlined. The grid was designed to investigate how group members perceive music therapy and whether their perceptions change over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)