Exploring music therapists’ attitudes towards disability and sexuality

Miller, Francesca

Miller, F. (2024). Exploring music therapists’ attitudes towards disability and sexuality.

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Title	Exploring music therapists’ attitudes towards disability and sexuality
Abstract	Music therapy has historically not addressed sex as a topic within clinical practice despite its clinical relevance to the human experience. As a field that works with an abundance of disabled clients who are often harmed by social and systemic infantilization which prevents them from access to sexual knowledge, it could be argued that music therapists should be trained to provide basic levels of support to this community in particular given the high level of need. Nevertheless, there are many questions and conflicting ideas around music therapy scope of practice as it pertains to these topics, barriers to education and clinical implementation and viable solutions to this gap in knowledge as a profession. While the music therapy literature has seen an increase in disability justice research in recent years, it offers little to nothing on the topic of engaging in clinically relevant discussion of sex, and most certainly not within the context of disability. This study aimed to examine music therapists’ educational and clinical experiences on engaging in sexual topics with disabled clients, as well as measuring personal feelings of comfort in engaging in these conversations. It was conducted via an anonymous survey intended to collect quantitative and qualitative data from a wide array of music therapists. Data was collected and analyzed according to an objectivist framework and qualitative data in particular was analyzed for common themes. Results indicate a lack of training and education in the facilitation of such topics, and the majority of participants reported complex feelings on the various intersecting layers of these conversations. While many reported feeling discomfort in relation to this topic, so too did many indicate a desire to reflect more critically and intentionally on the subject. It is hoped that this study’s data will serve as an impetus for our field to shift cultural and education practices to better prepare therapists for these conversations on these topics.
Date	2024

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Title: Exploring music therapists’ attitudes towards disability and sexuality
Author: Miller, Francesca
Abstract: Music therapy has historically not addressed sex as a topic within clinical practice despite its clinical relevance to the human experience. As a field that works with an abundance of disabled clients who are often harmed by social and systemic infantilization which prevents them from access to sexual knowledge, it could be argued that music therapists should be trained to provide basic levels of support to this community in particular given the high level of need. Nevertheless, there are many questions and conflicting ideas around music therapy scope of practice as it pertains to these topics, barriers to education and clinical implementation and viable solutions to this gap in knowledge as a profession. While the music therapy literature has seen an increase in disability justice research in recent years, it offers little to nothing on the topic of engaging in clinically relevant discussion of sex, and most certainly not within the context of disability. This study aimed to examine music therapists’ educational and clinical experiences on engaging in sexual topics with disabled clients, as well as measuring personal feelings of comfort in engaging in these conversations. It was conducted via an anonymous survey intended to collect quantitative and qualitative data from a wide array of music therapists. Data was collected and analyzed according to an objectivist framework and qualitative data in particular was analyzed for common themes. Results indicate a lack of training and education in the facilitation of such topics, and the majority of participants reported complex feelings on the various intersecting layers of these conversations. While many reported feeling discomfort in relation to this topic, so too did many indicate a desire to reflect more critically and intentionally on the subject. It is hoped that this study’s data will serve as an impetus for our field to shift cultural and education practices to better prepare therapists for these conversations on these topics.
Advisor: Hadley, Susan
Committee Members: LaCom, Cindy
Miller, Vern
Date Issued: 2024
Degree Granting Institution: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
College of Liberal Arts
Music
Degree Name: Master of Music Therapy (MMT)
Degree Level: Masters Degree
Degree Discipline: Music Therapy
Genre: Dissertation/Thesis
Copyright Statement: The copyright to this item is owned by the author and falls under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)