A descriptive analysis of supervision in psychiatric music therapy

The purpose of this study was to descriptively analyze supervision in psychiatric music therapy. A survey was emailed to all professional members of the American Music Therapy Association who worked with the mental health population. The most frequent responses concerning theoretical orientation were humanistic and cognitive-behavioral. Most participants had earned a master's degree and indicated they were supervised by psychologists, music therapists, recreational therapists, and unit supervisors, respectively. Respondents indicated they enjoyed supervising all music therapy populations but felt it most difficult to supervise other professionals and music therapy interns. Respondents rated the importance of boundaries, ethics, counseling skills, and music skills most important but research least important. Emerging themes from qualitative responses primarily concerned self-care, boundaries, music and music therapy, and transference or countertransference. Although limitations exist due to the small sample size, implications for education, training, and research are provided.