E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

Wheeler, Barbara: WMFT Proceedings of the Education Symposium
Qualifications of Music Therapy Educators of the Canadian
Association for Music Therapy
Connie Isenberg-Grzeda, MM, MTA, MT-BC
Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
CAMT Standards and Procedures for the Approval of Undergraduate
Music Therapy Programs (1995) stipulates that music therapy faculty
members must hold a postgraduate degree and have completed training in
music therapy at a recognized institution. Each music therapy faculty
member must also be an accredited music therapist (MTA) with the
equivalent of at least five years of full-time professional experience in
music therapy. In addition, the Standards and Procedures for the Approval
of Graduate Music Therapy Programs document (May, 1999) stipulates that
at least one faculty member must hold a PhD in music therapy or in an allied
profession. All faculty members in a graduate program must have made a
significant academic or professional contribution to the field of music
therapy and have contributed to the educational development of music
therapists through teaching or supervision. In addition, all faculty members
must have research experience at the graduate level.
Although not included in either document, it is my personal belief
that faculty members must be currently involved in clinical work. They must
have a sense of their own professional identity, that is, they must be able to
describe themselves as a music therapist or a music psychotherapist,
understanding the distinctions between these roles and the links between
these and that of a psychotherapist. They must be able to understand the
impact of the conceptualization of their professional identity on the content
of their teachings.
Faculty members must also understand the importance of and have
the capacity to create a safe container for the students, parallel to that
they create for patients. The educational process may generate anxiety and
increase vulnerability, as students become more self-aware. Students
deserve a safe, contained space in which to explore.
351