Music Therapists as Clients: Therapy-Seeking and Utilization of Personal Therapy by Music Therapists

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to personal therapy for board-certified music therapists (MT-BCs), specifically regarding the rate of past and present therapy attendance, type of therapy utilized, reason(s) music therapists seek therapy, and the role of gender identity or theoretical orientation on rates of therapy utilization. Music therapists were considered as both professional musicians and allied health professionals, potentially exposing them to both areas of occupational risk relating to psychological stress or illness. A survey was created and sent out to all MT-BCs who opted to receive research inquiries (8,493), with a return of 945 usable responses. The majority of participants indicated that they have attended therapy or counseling at some point in time during their career. The most commonly utilized form of therapy was talk therapy or verbal counseling. Common reasons for therapy attendance were to seek personal insight, address a mental health concern, address feelings of stress from work, and address a mental illness. There was no apparent difference in therapy-seeking dependent on gender identity, but participants with theoretical orientations that emphasize the importance of personal insight may have higher rates of therapy utilization. Implications from the findings of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed.