American Music Therapy Association

Music therapists are acutely aware of the need to provide an environment in which our clients feel safe to express themselves musically and verbally. During this course, we will use case material, client recordings, and musical experiences to examine therapeutic safety and implications for trauma-informed practice, ethical principles, and multicultural competencies.

Objectives:

• 1. Participants will identify 3 music therapy techniques or approaches that establish trust. (CBMT Domains I D8, 9; II A1a-e; II A2c; II A5l; II B1-3, 5)
• 2. Participants will apply at least 3 ethics principles to the concept of safety in music therapy sessions. (CBMT Domains IV B4; IV B10; IV B14)
• 3. Participants will use one theory of psychotherapy, trauma-informed practice or model of music therapy to describe safety in clinical practice.
• (CBMT Domains II A3, 4)
• 4. Participants will incorporate one element of multicultural competency to a clinical scenario in which safety was a primary consideration. (CBMT Domains I B4d; I C4; II A5ac)

Schedule:

1. 30 minutes: Introduction to course and objectives; review of ethical principles; open discussion/definition of therapeutic safety in the clinical environment.
30 minutes: Case #1: child in medical daycare (case description and discussion)
15 minute break
2. 25 minutes: theoretical orientation, music therapy models, trauma-informed theory
30 minutes: Case #2: adult in oncology care (video and discussion)
20 minute break
3. 45 minutes: music therapy in family visitation program (re-creation and discussion)
15 minute break
4. 30 minutes: Case #4: Women's trauma program (re-creation and discussion)
30 minutes: small group discussions applying ethical, multicultural, theoretical and trauma-informed principles to music therapy practice
5. 15 minutes: musical closure                 Course evaluation