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In the recent years, government regulation regarding the practice of psychotherapy has been taking place in some countries. Government regulation protects the public from false representation or the malpractice of psychotherapy offered by people who do not have the appropriate training, competencies, and certifications. The regulation of professional practice has begun to reach the music therapy profession as well. These new regulations have serious implications for the training and practice of music therapy.

Psychotherapy is defined either very specifically, or more generally according to the country, the state, or the provincial legislation. For instance in Quebec, Canada, the Order of Psychologists of Quebec defines psychotherapy as a:

…psychological treatment for a mental disorder, behavioural disturbance or other problem resulting in psychological suffering or distress, and has as its purpose to foster significant changes in the client’s cognitive, emotional or behavioural functioning, interpersonal relations, personality or health. Such treatment goes beyond help aimed at dealing with everyday difficulties and beyond a support or counselling role. (Éditeur officiel du Québec, 2009, p. 10).

It also states that psychotherapy is a verbal intervention.

While in Ontario (Canada), the College of Registered Psychotherapists defines psychotherapy as, “…the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances by psychotherapeutic means, delivered through a therapeutic relationship, based primarily on verbal or non-verbal communication.” (http://www.collegeofpsychotherapists.on.ca)

One of the differences between these two definitions is that the former recognizes only verbal expression, while the later includes non-verbal communication, which has implications for music therapists who would want to be recognized as psychotherapists.

Bruscia (1998) describes,

“...psychotherapy essentially as a verbal experience. That is, therapist and client use verbal discourse as the means of communications, developing a relationship, and working toward agreed-on goals. In contrast, music psychotherapy is defined by the use of music experiences in addition to or in lieu of the traditional types of verbal discourse. Specifically, therapist and client create and listen to music as a primary means of communicating, relating to one another, and working toward goals, supplementing these experiences with verbal discourse as necessary. In short, music psychotherapy is the use of music experiences to facilitate the interpersonal process of therapist and client as well as the therapeutic change process itself.” (p. 3).

Bruscia also describes four variations of psychotherapy methods such as Music as psychotherapy, music-centered psychotherapy, Music in psychotherapy, and Verbal psychotherapy with music.

Undergraduate and graduate programs are where music therapists can obtain appropriate training and become aware of their competencies in various approaches such as Activity Therapies, Reeducative, or Reconstructive therapies as defined by Wheeler, Shultis, & Pollen (2005). Some music therapists pursue a psychotherapy specialization like Reconstructive therapy such as the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music; Psychodynamic music therapy; or Jungian or Gestalt orientations and music therapy. This means that music therapists who practice psychotherapy, or call themselves music psychotherapists, now need to a permit in some countries.

Some music psychotherapists have obtained that permit already. On the one hand, it might be positive that music therapists (in some countries or states/provinces) are recognized as psychotherapists; this could create a precedent to help other countries legitimize psychotherapeutic practice. On the other hand, where it is denied, music therapists need to lobby to be able to legally practice music psychotherapy.

This issue brings more questions than answers and certainly culture is a big factor in terms of how psychotherapy is defined. There are particularities and ways of conceptualizing therapy in various parts of the world that make the issue complex. How do we define therapy and psychotherapy in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia? Are there some common grounds for music therapists to agree upon?

At the same time, music therapists need to be part of a Professional College to be eligible to ask for a psychotherapy permit. The raison d’être of a Professional College is the protection of the public. Professions such as psychology, nursing and social work have been regulated for several years. Music therapists, like these professionals, also work with populations who are facing challenging physical and psychological conditions; this brings the necessity of a Professional College. Requirements from Colleges need to be covered in training and competencies curriculum, which for the field of music therapy, have still to be met in some programs.

Music therapists are becoming more aware that the issue of practicing psychotherapy reaching their profession and that there is an urgent need for music psychotherapy to be recognized. I am certainly a strong advocate for music therapists to be part of a Professional College but there is still a long road ahead before this can be achieved. I would be very interested to hear from other music therapists about how the issues surrounding a Professional College and psychotherapy are addressed in their own country in order to build arguments for the possibility of practicing music psychotherapy. It is our clients who would benefit from these highly valuable services.

References

Bruscia, K. E. (1998). The dynamics of music psychotherapy. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona.

Éditeur officiel du Québec (2009). Projet de loi no 21.Chap. 28. Loi modifiant le Code
des professions et d’autres dispositions législatives dans le domaine de la santé mentale et des relations humaines.

Wheeler, B, Shultis, C, & Pollen, D. (2005). Clinical training guide for the student music
therapist (Chap. 12). Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

How to cite this page

Vaillancourt, Guylaine (2013). Would We Have to Hide to Practice Music Psychotherapy?. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 08, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=fortnightly-columns/2013-would-we-have-hide-practice-music-psychotherapy