Developing New Posts in Music Therapy

Many music therapists join an organization as the first employee in the role, and consequently are the first music therapist that many of their new colleagues will have met. This chapter provides information about the challenges of introducing music therapy to established workplaces, securing funding and resources, gaining acceptance from interprofessional team members, and determining a role for music therapy. The ways in which music therapy can become an integral part of a healthcare or education organization are explored. Published accounts indicate that the development of music therapy posts can be facilitated or restricted by a range of complex forces, such as historical factors, power dynamics, organizational cultures, and a music therapist’s relationships with other workers. From the sparse information available about music therapy start up, it is not possible to establish clear causal links between influential factors. It is likely that successful start-up depends on a complex range of context-based factors, and the key to gaining entry in one practice setting may not necessarily open the door in another. Furthermore, the development of new posts may be influenced by power dynamics within the organization, and a music therapist’s relationships with other workers. Literature that describes how music therapists have navigated this complexity are reviewed and discussed.