American Music Therapy Association

Providing music therapy services in a rural setting has both blessings and challenges. Together we’ll explore ideas for developing a thriving practice, ways to address ethical issues such as dual relationships and “nosey” neighbors, and thoughts on exit strategies, while sharing the survival skills we have learned as rural music therapists.

Objectives: 

• Obj. #1: Participants will explore issues on being a generalist or specialist in a rural setting. (BCD IV. A. 1,2; IV.B. 14)
• Obj. #2: Participants will identify potential ethical issues and means to mitigate them when living/working in a rural setting. (BCD II. C. 2, 5; IV. B. 4, 10)
• Obj. # 3 Participants will identify an exit strategy for their practice in a rural context. (BCD II. C. 2, 5, 6, 7)
• Obj. #4: Participants will explore three characteristics of the rural context. (BCD I. A. 3, D. 8,  IV. A. 5, B. 6, 8, 20).

Schedule:

• 20 minutes: Introduction:
Definition of rural setting.
Identifying blessings and challenges of rural living.

• 20 minutes: Presentation on the characteristics of a rural context.

• 40 minutes: Discussion of the benefits and issues with being either
a generalists or specialist in a rural setting.
Should you be a specialist or a general practitioner or
somewhere in between?
Setting small town rates
Looking to other service providers, therapists, counselors
in your community/area
Looking at those teaching private lessons
Effective Advertising
Publications
Flyers
Word of mouth
Venues
What venues should I consider when there aren’t
“traditional spaces”?
Selecting what you do for free & what you do for a fee
volunteer vs work
paid vs marketing
But I want to be an employee not self employed

• 15 minute break

• 50 minutes: Rural life realities
Rural Travels 
Dead skunk in the middle of the road (critters, wildlife and
livestock that complicate travel)
Where cell phones drop off (Being safe when you can't
count on the phone)
Whatever the weather (Wind, mud, snow mean we need to
set policies for when we cancel; when we reschedule)
Options of staying put vs. traveling (how far will you go?)
Support
Creating a support network
Living where internet speeds drop
Feeding your soul
Dealing with challenges of outsider status (Life as one "not
from here")
Music: making, seeing performances
Accessing new ideas

• 10 minute break

• 100 minutes: Ethics
Share information from other healthcare disciplines.
Discuss dual relationships (the reality of rural town life)
They know you're coming and going (Thoughts on privacy in a
place where everyone knows everyone's activities)
Handling questions about clients from people in the community
Answering client questions about you (disclosure issues)
Social media 

• 15 minute break

• 20 minutes: Exit plans (of both the treatment and moving away)
When your paths cross after treatment
Exit plan if another MT is coming or in the area
Exit plan if no other MT coming/in area

10 minutes: Closing discussion