28/11/2024
Thank-you to everyone for your support and I apologise for anyone that has experienced distress over the situation.
Things are changing very quickly, so hopefully by the time you have read this, there is more movement. The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) board is now scheduled to meet with Bill Shorten next week to discuss how music therapy is evidence based and reverse decision to have music therapy returned to be listed under therapeutic supports.
In the last few days we have made some great progress;
-Delayed implementation- the implementation of removing music therapy from therapeutic supports was due to be scheduled for 02/12/2024, which we have been successful to push back to 01/02/2024 as we move to have decision removed.
-We have government attention. There are over 30,000, signatures on petition. The President of AMTA flew to Canberra to attend press conference and was able to secure meeting with Bill Shorten for next week
-We have media attention
Story on front page of Sydney Herald, Sky News story
9 news story, , Registered music therapists on ABC radio all over Australia, and local TV channels. Myself I have had my voice heard on Abc Gippsland radio and working with ABC news and am working on other connections.
Many people have asked, what can I do?
-Sign the petition
-Share our message, we are asking Bill Shorten and the NDIA to reverse their decision to remove music therapy from therapeutic supports, that music therapy is an evidence based allied health support.
-Contact Bill Shorten-call (02) 6277 7200, email, social media.
-Contact your local MP
-If appropriate and comfortable, share your story and journey with music therapy. These are extremely powerful.
-Raise awareness of music therapy and misconceptions around music therapy. Here are some examples of the awareness that needs to be addressed;
--There are those who misunderstand music therapists, and are saying we are not therapists. Unfortunately this has come from a speech therapist. Registered Music Therapists like myself are required to complete a tertiary qualification of 4 year Undergraduate degree or Masters of Music Therapy with over 600 hours of placement. I have a Masters in Music Therapy, with undergraduates in psychology, teaching, music and play therapy, that is 10 years of tertiary study. We are therapists
--Misconception on what is music therapy. Music therapy is the intentional use of music based interventions to address non-musical goals including behavioural, cognitive, communication, social, emotional, physical and musical. Unfortunately we havesny claiming to be doing music therapy, who are not and this is why we are is this situation.
--Bill Shorten claims music therapy is not evidence based, but has not made any efforts to make contact with Australian Music Therapy Association to discuss this. Music therapy has been used as evidence since 1789 and continues to be evidentiary of therapeutic outcomes as evident here;
https://www.austmta.org.au/.../2024%20AMTA%20Disability...
There is a board to be made up to make a decision about whether music therapy is evidence based. Apparently you can apply to be on board but need to email for application and no one has replied to email from a week ago asking for application documents. No one at Australian Music Therapy Association has been consulted about any of this.
--Misconception that music therapy does exist under NDIS, it just looks different.
----as a group of 4 at the current stated rate. Yes music therapists run groups, but this is as appropriate to the client needs, goals, interests and availability. Many clients simply cannot cope and will have no benefit in being in a group of 3 others that happen to be available at the same time as them. The anxiety experienced by the participants will most likely mean they simply do not attend. This is devastating for them as they have the therapeutic outcomes for them in music therapy before being forced into a group environment was immense.
----individual sessions at a 65% reduced rate. Yes music therapists can engage participants in sessions using community participation as Bill Shorten has stated they “can engage in an activity”. But, two things here, this demoralises both the participant and the Registered Music Therapist in the vital shared therapeutic work they are making on their behavioural, emotional, social, communication, physical, cognitive and music development and gains. Secondly, as music therapists we still need to pay our registration fees, leases/rent, insurance, for auditing, for professional development, supervision, for instruments and resources. None of these are cheap or feasible under the new fee. Meaning very few music therapists and their business will continue to be viable to operate in this space, and importantly our participants will not be able to engage in a therapy of their choosing in the NDIS which is meant to give participants choice and control.
--We are facing a lot of comments around being money focused, this is not the case. We are focused on our clients' needs and advocating for them. Of course, at the same time, we do need to explore how we maintain and sustain our businesses in order to be able to continue to meet these needs. I will maintain integrity and not be trying to find a way to “get around the system” through fraudulent means, only what is available to me legally and ethically . I am fortunate that due to my other qualifications I have other avenues, however this is not the case for many music therapists or benefit our joint client population.
I am continually advocating, and will not give up until the needs of my and all music therapy clients are met.
I do ask for help in one aspect. I am fighting fires constantly around the misconception of music therapy and registered music therapists. This is a wonderful opportunity to provide education. Please do not feel you need to educate yourself, but if you see anything that does sit with your understanding of music therapy, send it through to me (FB page- Adie Music Therapy) and I will address it respectfully.
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