Clinical Training in Music Therapy

Objective: This paper examines the experiences of music therapy students throughout their clinical training. Three surveys inquired about: 1) the perception from both interns and supervisors as to interns’ needs, 2) interns’ preparedness, their skills, their priorities when choosing an internship, and whether their expectations for training were met (with comparisons between American and International respondents), and 3) satisfaction with clinical training. Method: Three separate surveys were distributed. The first survey’s respondents included pre-interns ( n = 19) and internship supervisors (n = 14) who had completed their training in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. The second survey’s respondents included American interns (n = 50), American professionals (n = 353), International interns (n = 12), and International professionals (n = 50). Respondents for the third survey included professional music therapists who completed their curriculum in the United States and held the MT-BC professional credential (N = 777). Results: Some differences between interns’ and supervisors’ perceptions of the interns’ needs were found in Survey 1; significant differences were found between the preparedness and strengths/weaknesses between groups in Survey 2; and Survey 3 found general satisfaction with training with some areas respondents felt needed improvement. Conclusions: While there is overall satisfaction with training for music therapists, there are inconsistencies in students’ experiences in, and perceptions of, their training.