MU503
Music Psychotherapy Assessment and Ethical Practice
0.5 Credit

Students will understand a variety of music psychotherapy assessment approaches and how to formulate tools appropriate to treatment setting. The risk assessment protocols that comply with applicable federal, provincial, CRPO legislation/policies, and CAMT professional standards are introduced, including domestic violence and child protection concerns. Students learn how to develop safety plans with clients at risk, refer to specific professional services, report to authorities as required by law, and follow up to monitor risk over time. They learn how to structure and facilitate ethical and safe therapy sessions with a variety of clients in different lifespans, including disadvantaged, discriminated, stigmatized, and marginalized members of the community. Students will understand, define, and maintain ethical and professional boundaries for therapy in different situations and take all reasonable measures to safeguard physical and emotional safety of their clients through analysis of clinical scenarios. Students recognize and address conflict resolution or ethical issues encountered in a practice; identify when advocacy, third-party support, advice, referral or specialized treatment may be of value to the client. Clinical documentation procedures, such as how to protect client privacy and confidentiality, write and maintain client records and clinical notes, and to recognize ethical and legal implications when preparing third-party reports will be discovered. The process of obtaining informed consent in accordance with provincial law is explored, including the description of the therapist qualifications and role, responsibilities of the client and the therapist in a therapeutic relationship, the advantages and disadvantages of participating in psychotherapy, the client's rights to privacy and confidentiality, and the legal limitations thereof. The formulation of individualized goals and objectives with the client are introduced and practiced with various case studies as well as how to determine the direction of therapy or plan and implement methods to assess effectiveness of interventions. Students develop a basic understanding of the typical phases of the psychotherapeutic process, learn to review and evaluate therapeutic processes and progress, make appropriate adjustments, recognize when and how to conclude therapy, how to prepare clients for closure or transfer of care, and how to outline follow-up options, support systems and resources. Students also learn to recognize the major classes of psychoactive drugs and their effects as part of client assessment. The course includes readings, discussions, practical demonstrations and role-play. This course equips students for their clinical work.