Survey Results for the Current State of Censorship in Adult Psychiatric Music Therapy Sessions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate current censorship practices and beliefs of music therapists working in adult mental health settings. The research questions are: (a) What music, or elements of music, do music therapists censor during music therapy sessions? (b) If music therapists censor, what are their reasons for censoring? The participants for this study were 42 board-certified music therapists who completed an online survey investigating their current censorship practices within sessions. Censorship was broadly defined as music therapists refraining from using, or redirecting clients away from using, certain lyrics, themes, songs, or genres of music during therapist planning and facilitation of sessions. The majority of respondents (78.57%) censor at least one musical element, including themes (69.05%), lyrics (66.67%), and genres (16.67%). Reasons for censorship revolved around issues with treatment, including other group members’ responses, client comfortableness, emotional distress, self-esteem issues, and negative impact on the therapeutic relationship. However, about 25% reported personal beliefs affected censorship, such as their comfort with the content, religious beliefs, and believing the client cannot benefit in any way from hearing the music. Further research needs to be conducted on how lyrics, themes, and genres impact clients, and if these elements facilitated by a music therapist could be used to address and work through some of the issues and concerns presented by the music.