Multicultural issues encountered in the supervision of music therapy internships in the United States and Canada

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which multicultural issues are being addressed in music therapy internships in the United States and Canada. Internships are pre-professional, supervised clinical training programs required for certification or accreditation as a music therapist. Music therapy internship supervisors (N = 104) completed an online survey on demographics, multicultural training and experiences, cross-cultural issues encountered in internship supervision, and the extent to which multicultural issues are addressed with interns. Analysis of the data revealed that although the majority of supervisors had supervised interns from diverse cultural backgrounds, many had little or no formalized training in multicultural music therapy. It was also found that multicultural issues were not being consistently addressed within the context of music therapy internship supervision. Implications for supervisor training, music therapy internship supervision practices, and further research are discussed

Client experiences in postlude discussions in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand clients’ experiences of the postlude discussion phase in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). Individual open- ended qualitative interviews were conducted with eight GIM clients in order to gather their reflective perspectives on experiences that occurred in the postlude discussion phase. Stories were created from each participant’s descriptions and helpful and not helpful essences were extracted. A cross-case analysis revealed that these essences fell into four theme categories: (a) client-therapist relationship, (b) structure of the postlude discussion, (c) perceived impact of the music listening phase on the postlude discussion, and (d) perceived overarching impact of the postlude discussion. Implications for research, theory, practice, and training are discussed

The potential health benefits of community based singing groups for adults with cancer.

This article demonstrates the potential efficacy of community based singing groups to improve the health and quality of life of adults diagnosed with cancer. An overview on music therapy practices utilized in adult cancer care is presented. Publications related to the health benefits of singing in both therapeutic and community contexts are reviewed. Information pertaining to the role of psychosocial support groups in the treatment processes of persons with cancer is used to establish the relevance of community based group singing experiences for this population. Initial guidelines on how to effectively facilitate a community based singing group for persons with cancer are outlined and discussed within the context of the author’s clinical experiences. Implications for research are presented. It is hoped that this article will inspire music therapists to develop community based singing groups for persons with cancer, and to conduct much needed research in this area

Depression: Relationships to Sleep Paralysis and Other Sleep Disturbances in a Community Sample

Sleep disturbances are important correlates of depression, with epidemiologic research heretofore focused on insomnia and sleepiness. This epidemiologic study’s aim was to investigate, in a community sample, depression’s relationships to other sleep disturbances: sleep paralysis (SP), hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations (HH), cataplexy – considered rapid eye movement-related disturbances – and automatic behavior (AB). Although typical of narcolepsy, these disturbances are prevalent, albeit under-studied, in the population. Cross-sectional analyses (1998–2002), based on Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study population-based data from 866 participants (mean age 54, 53% male), examined: depression (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale), trait anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI-T ≥ 75th percentile), and self-reported sleep disturbances. Descriptive sleep data were obtained by overnight polysomnography. Adjusted logistic regression models estimated depression’s associations with each (\u3efew times ever) outcome – SP, HH, AB, and cataplexy. Depression’s associations with self-reported SP and cataplexy were not explained by anxiety. After anxiety adjustment, severe depression (Zung ≥55), vis-à-vis Zung \u3c50, increased SP odds ∼500% ( P = 0.0008). Depression (Zung ≥50), after stratification by anxiety given an interaction ( P = 0.02), increased self-reported cataplexy odds in non-anxious (OR 8.9, P = 0.0008) but not anxious (OR 1.1, P = 0.82) participants. Insomnia and sleepiness seemed only partial mediators or confounders for depression’s associations with self-reported cataplexy and SP. Anxiety (OR 1.9, P = 0.04) partially explained depression’s (Zung ≥55) association with HH (OR 2.2, P = 0.08). Anxiety (OR 1.6, P = 0.02) was also more related than depression to AB. Recognizing depression’s relationships to oft-neglected sleep disturbances, most notably SP, might assist in better characterizing depression and the full range of its associated sleep problems in the population. Longitudinal studies are warranted to elucidate mediators and causality

Canadian music therapists’ perspectives on the current state of music therapy as a profession in Canada

Although the profession of music therapy has made many advances since the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) was established in 1974, it is still a relatively new profession and, as such, faces a variety of challenges. However, it is not known how these challenges are perceived by Canadian music therapists who live in diverse regions of a geographically large country and work within different provincial and regional health care and education systems. Furthermore, it is not known how these diverse experiences impact upon Canadian music therapists' views of the profession. The purpose of this study was to examine Canadian music therapists' perspectives on the current state of music therapy as a profession in Canada. In Fall 2012, participants [N = 87) completed an online survey that examined their perceptions of the CAMT definition of music therapy, scope of practice, professional certification, government regulation, and professional advocacy. Results indicated that a majority of respondents believed that both the CAMT’s definition of music therapy and the Music Therapy Association of Ontario’s (MTAO) scope of practice statement are representative of the current profession and practice of music therapy in Canada. However, respondents’ perceptions were more varied in other areas of the survey. Potential implications and recommendations for the profession and for further research are discussed

Supervising the supervisor: The use of live music and identification of parallel processes

This article describes a music therapy professor’s and PhD student’s experiences as “supervisor– supervisee” within the context of the teaching apprenticeship training program at Temple University. A brief overview on the use of live music-making in supervision is offered along with relevant autobio- graphical information and examples of how live music-making was used to address supervisory issues. The authors identify parallel processes that emerged between the supervisee and her students, and the supervisee and her supervisor. The authors conclude that the practice of live music-making in supervisory contexts is beneficial on many levels. They hope that this publication will expand the ways in which practitioners and supervisors think about the roles of live music and parallel processes within supervisory contexts and that this will translate into supervisory practices

Extreme morning chronotypes are often familial and not exceedingly rare: the estimated prevalence of advanced sleep phase, familial advanced sleep phase, and advanced sleep-wake phase disorder in a sleep clinic population.

Study objectivesReport the first prevalence estimates of advanced sleep phase (ASP), familial advanced sleep phase (FASP), and advanced sleep-wake phase disorder (ASWPD). This can guide clinicians on the utility of screening for extreme chronotypes both for clinical decision-making and to flag prospective participants in the study of the genetics and biology of FASP.MethodsData on morning or evening sleep schedule preference (chronotype) were collected from 2422 new patients presenting to a North American sleep center over 9.8 years. FASP was determined using a severity criterion that has previously identified dominant circadian mutations in humans. All patients were personally seen and evaluated by one of the authors (C.R.J.).ResultsOur results demonstrate an ASP prevalence of 0.33%, an FASP prevalence of 0.21%, and an ASWPD prevalence of at least 0.04%. Most cases of young-onset ASP were familial.ConclusionsAmong patients presenting to a sleep clinic, conservatively 1 out of every 300 patients will have ASP, 1 out of every 475 will have FASP, and 1 out of every 2500 will have ASWPD. This supports obtaining a routine circadian history and, for those with extreme chronotypes, obtaining a family history of circadian preference. This can optimize treatment for evening sleepiness and early morning awakening and lead to additional circadian gene discovery. We hope these findings will lead to improved treatment options for a wide range of sleep and medical disorders in the future