International Music Therapists’ Perceptions and Experiences in Telehealth Music Therapy Provision

Amy Clements-Cortés (), Marija Pranjić, David Knott, Melissa Mercadal-Brotons, Allison Fuller, Lisa Kelly, Indra Selvarajah and Rebecca Vaudreuil
Additional contact information
Amy Clements-Cortés: Faculty of Music, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
Marija Pranjić: Faculty of Music, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
David Knott: Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Melissa Mercadal-Brotons: Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
Allison Fuller: School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Lisa Kelly: Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland
Indra Selvarajah: Department of Music, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysian Society for Music in Medicine, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Rebecca Vaudreuil: Independent Researcher, Worcester, MA 01604, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: The use of telehealth within music therapy practice has increased through necessity in recent years. To contribute to the evolving evidence base, this current study on Telehealth Music Therapy (TMT) was undertaken to investigate the telehealth provision experiences of music therapists internationally. Participants completed an anonymous online cross-sectional survey covering demographics, clinical practice, telehealth provision, and telehealth perceptions. Descriptive and inferential statistics, in combination with thematic analysis, were used to analyze the data. A total of 572 music therapists from 29 countries experienced in providing TMT took part in this study. The results showed that the overall number of clinical hours (TMT and in-person hours combined) declined due to the pandemic. Participants also reported reduced perceived success rates in utilizing both live and pre-recorded music in TMT sessions when compared to in-person sessions. Although many music therapists rose to the challenges posed by the pandemic by incorporating TMT delivery modes, there was no clear agreement on whether TMT has more benefits than drawbacks; however, reported benefits included increased client access and caregiver involvement. Furthermore, a correlation analysis revealed moderate-to-strong positive associations between respondents who perceived TMT to have more benefits than drawbacks, proficiency at administering assessments over telehealth, and perceived likelihood of using telehealth in the future. Regarding the influence of primary theoretical orientation and work setting, respondents who selected music psychotherapy as a primary theoretical orientation had more experience providing TMT prior to the pandemic while those primarily working in private practice were most inclined to continue TMT services post-pandemic. Benefits and drawbacks are discussed and future recommendations for TMT are provided.

Keywords: telehealth; music therapy; telehealth music therapy (TMT); COVID-19; survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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