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Title: Understanding safety in music therapy
Year Issued: 2024

Abstract: Although there is a growing emphasis on trauma-informed care in music therapy clinical practice, research specifically addressing the concept of safety—particularly psychological and physical safety—remains limited. Therefore, this thesis aimed to understand the conc...
Show moreAlthough there is a growing emphasis on trauma-informed care in music therapy clinical practice, research specifically addressing the concept of safety—particularly psychological and physical safety—remains limited. Therefore, this thesis aimed to understand the concept of safety in the field of music therapy and how it informs practice, education, and professional interactions. Given the limited existing research on this topic, a grounded theory methodology was employed to generate a deeper understanding of how safety is conceptualized in the field based on the lived experiences and insights of practitioners. The primary researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of 11 participants. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed and coded using ATLAS.ti. The findings proposed the following theory: Within music therapy contexts, safety is a dynamic experience that is constantly negotiated and co-constructed by participants through prioritizing care and well-being in the relationship and conditions for safety, including trust, are present. Interpretations of findings, implications for music therapy practice, and recommendations for future research were included.
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Author: Hales, Grant

Title: Music therapists' experiences working in a setting that values censorship
Abstract: This qualitative study examined the experiences of music therapists that work in an environment that promotes censorship practices. There are several studies that discuss censorship practices across helping professions but few studies within music therapy literature....
Show moreThis qualitative study examined the experiences of music therapists that work in an environment that promotes censorship practices. There are several studies that discuss censorship practices across helping professions but few studies within music therapy literature. Music therapy code of ethics and education stress the importance of self-reflection and recognizing biases for the therapist, however there is minimal information on biases when applying censorship practices. As a helping profession nonmaleficence is emphasized, however there is a paucity of research that includes the relationship between harm and censorship. Additionally, music therapy research and education identifies the need for culturally responsive practices, however have not included censorship and its effects on the therapist and participants in this movement. In this study seven participants engaged in one semi-structured interview to describe their experiences and relationships with self, clients, coworkers and larger institutions when experiencing censorship practices. Results demonstrate three overarching themes of values and beliefs, responses and navigating power in relationships. Each theme had at least three levels which described the experience of the client, therapist, co-workers and institution. These narratives and results suggest the need for continued research and discussion in the music therapy community on harm that may occur through censoring songs and experiences and ethical implications.
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Year Issued: 2023

Author: Boyce, Emily
Sub-title: an interpretative phenomenological analysis