International trends in telehealth for music therapy education and training: A survey study

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic thrust telehealth practices, education, and clinical training into the professional conversation. However, regulations for telehealth practice are lagging. We sought to assess how music therapy (MT) educators include telehealth training in their curriculum. Method: We globally distributed a cross-sectional online survey with 32 questions to MT educators covering four sections: (a) demographic information, (b) Telehealth Music Therapy (TMT) education and training at participants’ institution, (c) educator training/perspectives/perceptions on TMT, (d) resources participants use to teach TMT. We used descriptive statistics and correlation analysis for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative responses. Results: Sixty-one music therapy educators responded to the survey. Most respondents (n = 51, 85%) do not require students to practice TMT as part of their training nor offer opportunities for telehealth placements (n = 36, 60%), yet the majority believe TMT should be taught in all programs and therapists should offer accessible services for clients in isolated contexts. Several respondents reported that technology was the largest challenge in teaching TMT. Respondents also noted the complexities of building online relationships, along with balancing a busy curriculum. Finally, culture was highlighted, with differing perceptions and relevancy of TMT across the globe. Discussion: While the professional music therapy associations responded quickly with guidance for clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that education and training vary between institutions and across countries, which points to the need for TMT to be formally included in music therapy training and education programs.