Music therapists’ global perspectives on telehealth music therapy: a qualitative interview inquiry

Telehealth music therapy (TMT) grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to be integrated in music therapy praxis. This interview study, which is a follow-up to a large international study of 572 music therapists, reports the perceptions and experiences of 20 music therapists from 10 countries across 5 global regions. Five themes arose from the qualitative analysis, including (1) accessibility of TMT, (2) suitability of TMT, (3) safety within TMT, (4) technology within TMT, and (5) advancing the practice of TMT. Several recommendations are provided for music therapy clinicians, educators and researchers to consider for the fu?ture of TMT including the inclusion of TMT theoretical and experiential training for preprofessionals, client perceptions, experiences and desires for TMT, and the role of caregivers in TMT provision.