Music Therapists\u27 Self-Care: Examining the Effectiveness of Educational Preparation for Clinical Practice

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of undergraduate academic and clinical training programs for music therapy in addressing the subject of personal growth, as it relates to the development of critical self-awareness and self-care strategies. The study further attempted to identify which self-care strategies are being used by practicing music therapy clinicians and how a practice of self-care impacts their work with distressed and/or traumatized individuals. An electronic survey sent to all board-certified music therapists (MT-BCs) (N = 6369) generated a demographic profile of music therapy practitioners who identified their clientele as distressed and/or traumatized. The survey doubled as a means to identify a sample population for participation in face-to-face interviews. These interviews disclosed the clinicians’ perception of the effectiveness of their educational programs in preparing them to work with trauma-informed populations. An arts-based response further provided qualitative information corroborating the interviews. An open-ended survey questionnaire sent to academic directors of AMTA approved program directors (N = 79), investigated whether curricula related to self-care was included. The results revealed that 63.83% of MT-BCs (bachelor, masters, and doctorate levels) identified their clientele as distressed and/or traumatized. Specifically, 45.03% were bachelor-level clinicians. Results of the survey questionnaire to academic program directors (n = 16; 20.25% responding) indicated that 50% did not include a dedicated unit on self-care in their curricula. Interviews with clinicians exposed that 37.5% graduated from either graduate or undergraduate programs where the topic of self-care was not addressed. A thematic analysis of interview data and mandala arts-based responses, generated five primary and secondary themes; the analysis further identified indicators of vicarious traumatization related to the work experience. A plethora of self-care strategies and practices were communicated throughout the interview and creative response. The results of the survey suggest that more emphasis related to self-care in music therapy academic and clinical training programs would serve to provide graduates with increased knowledge and resources regarding self-care, thereby enabling clinicians to mitigate or circumvent the potential professional risks associated with treating a distressed and/or traumatized clientele

Journey Beyond Abuse: Healing Through Music and Imagery

Music and imagery experiences can be successfully implemented in supportive and re-educative music therapy sessions to foster the transformative process through insight. This paper presents a case study framed within a larger qualitative research project designed to investigate the viability of music therapy and other creative/expressive arts interventions with women victims of domestic violence. This client\u27s experiences and creative output associated with music imagery and mandalas were a healing journey beyond her abuse associated with domestic violence

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning: Best Practices in Music Therapy

Given the increasing numbers of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) people, music therapists are more likely to be in contact with LGBTQ individuals in their daily routines. LGBTQ people are coming out at earlier ages, staying out into their senior years, participating in marriage, and raising children. Expanding media coverage has focused on civil rights, marriage equality, bullying in the schools, and respect and pride in the community. Even though the AMTA Code of Ethics and Standards of Clinical Practice define a non-biased approach to working with LGBTQ individuals, the profession is still in need of best practice guidelines that will assist music therapists with tools to ensure that they are informed and sensitized to the needs of the LGBTQ community. The purpose of this paper is to propose a set of best practice guidelines and make recommendations for its implementation

Music Therapists’ Attitudes and Actions Regarding the LGBTQ Community: A Preliminary Report

This is a preliminary report on survey research currently being conducted by a team of music therapists across the United States. The study\u27s purpose was to explore the attitudes and actions of music therapists across the globe in regards to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) clients, coworkers, and students. The survey questions were designed to explore areas of knowledge as well as deficits in order to direct future educational offerings for music therapists and music therapy students. These results are preliminary, reflecting the first 2 months the survey was open representing a total of 409 respondents. Results indicate a need for further education and training of music therapists regarding LGBTQ issues