Considerations in a Brief Therapy Model for Music Therapy : A Survey Study

The purpose of the study is to ascertain the extent to which music therapists are working in ways that utilize components of brief therapy. The goals are to gain insight into the following: 1) Are music therapists utilizing brief therapy? 2) What are music therapist's perception(s) of brief therapy work? A total of 108 Board-Certified Music Therapists participated in a three-part survey consisting of demographic information, clinical experience, and various perceptions pertaining to applications of brief music therapy. Survey Monkey administered the survey for one month via a linked email cover letter. Data from the survey was descriptively summarized. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) revealed six components concerning the participants' perceptions of brief music therapy. The findings reveals that music therapists are indeed utilizing elements of brief therapy in short-term settings and value brief approaches given the trends and constraints in the field. Implications for future work in this area were considered.