Friday, April 25, 2025
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ruebush Hall, Room 128
As educated and conscientious music therapists, we know that MT interventions are powerful tools for progress and healing. And, as realistic clinicians who consider the nuance required to perform this delicate work, we simply must accept the fact that – mistakes do happen. What exactly might that look like in the context of music therapy clinical practice? In this presentation, we will evaluate 61 harmful events reported by 12 music therapists practicing in the United States, examining themes that emerge among the events, and exploring the ways in which music therapists may begin to define, navigate, and ultimately prevent harm in our everyday clinical practice.
Valerie Jackson ’12, ’16, ’19, MMT, MT-BC is director of expressive therapies at The Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton, Virginia.