COMMISSION

CLINICAL PRACTICE

Vision Statement

The Commission on Clinical Practice is intending to convey a dynamic view of the clinical practice of the profession that is effective for music therapists and other professionals who are interested in knowing the scope of the discipline in achieving the common goal: The health and well-being of humans.

Goals and Objectives

1. •To promote and advance clinical practice guidelines and standards in music therapy
   

2. •To provide an updated overview of clinical practice in music therapy in all geographic regions
   

3. •To identify new trends in clinical practice and specific regional approaches
   

4. •To identify most common practices by analyzing the Scientific Program of the World Congress every three years.
   

Projects

1. 1.Reflection of clinical conference presentations at the XII. World Congress of Music Therapy: Timeline: Accomplished in October 2008.
   

2. 2.Survey on the interdisciplinary aspects of clinical practice in music therapy. The project aims to evaluate the role of music therapists in interdisciplinary teams in Education and Health Care worldwide. Timeline: November 2009.
   

3. 3.Review of clinical practice curricula in collaboration with the Education, Training, & Registration Commission. The project aims to review various curricula to understand the depth of clinical practice undertaken by students in different countries. Timeline: October 2010
   

4. 4.International Library of Songs. the project’s goal is to create a list of songs (and possible media library) commonly used in each of the eight regions of the world. Timeline: June 2011
   

Welcome From the New Clinical Practice Chair

I am honored to assume the position of Chair of Clinical Practice for the World Federation of Music Therapy. During the past year I have served as a member of the Clinical Practice Commission, learning from Chair Amelia Ferraggina about the goals and processes of the Commission. As Professor Ferraggina moves on to other projects, I wish to thank her for her time and dedication to this Commission, and thank her for staying on the Commission as a member. My vision for the Clinical Practice Commission includes two projects. First, I wish to continue Professor Ferraggina's task of examining and collecting information regarding Clinical Practice throughout the world so that we can learn from one another. Secondly, I am interested in beginning a recently suggested project which includes collecting songs from around the world and creating an international library of songs accessible to members on the World Federation of Music Therapy website. Both projects are designed to promote connectedness, sharing and learning in our practice.  It is my pleasure to continue Professor Ferraggina's work as Chair of the Clinical Practice Commission and I look forward to working with members of the Clinical Practice Commission and the World Federation of Music Therapy.   

Invitation to Share Information

With the publication of the document GERIA: Music Therapy with the Elderly by Tom Naess (from Norway), we would like to start a new way of sharing knowledge and experiences of Clinical Practice in Music Therapy. The Commission of Clinical Practice invites you to submit clinical practice documents such as GERIA to meet our goal of providing clinical practice information for various populations and across all regions of the world.

Reflection of Clinical Presentations

During the XII World Congress of Music Therapy, held July 22-26 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, numerous music therapy techniques, training, and clinical research projects were presented and reflected in the conference program. Read the reflection of clinical conference presentations, which provides an overview of existing work and new developments in clinical practice.