03/17/2026
Music Therapy involves a three-way interaction between the therapist, client, and the music. See if you can find the Music Therapy Model triangle in an earlier post!
Bruscia (2014) states that “Music therapy is not complete...without some level of interaction between all three.” The music acts as a third agent; it can serve AS therapy where music is the primary medium for therapeutic change by engaging or relating to the music, or music IN therapy where music can be used as one of many modalities to address the needs of the client. The way in which music is used can change from moment to moment.
As such, Certified Music Therapists (MTAs) are trained to attend to all aspects of this therapeutic process, keeping in mind the therapeutic benefits as well as the potential risks. These include:
✅The music itself
✅The therapist
✅The clinical application of music
✅The therapeutic relationship
✅The client’s associations with music
✅Ecological and contextual factors
Murakami (2021) points these out as six sources of potential harm in music therapy through her Music Therapy and Harm Model (MTHM).
Stay tuned for the remainder of to find out what MTAs think about to ensure that our clients receive the best therapeutic care possible.
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Sources:
Aigen, K. (2005) Music-Centered Music Therapy. Barcelona Publishers.
Bruscia, K. E. (2014). Defining music therapy (3rd ed.). Barcelona Publishers.
Murakami, B. (2021). The Music Therapy and Harm Model (MTHM): Conceptualizing harm within music therapy practice. ECOS, 6(1), 003-003. https://doi.org/10.24215/27186199e003
