NAVIGATING ETHICAL DILEMMAS EXPERIENCED DURING THE MUSIC THERAPY INTERNSHIP: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

The American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) Code of Ethics (“Code”) applies to all students enrolled in AMTA-approved programs regardless of whether they are AMTA members and understanding and following the code is considered an entry-level competency. Despite the connection between the code and students, very little is known about how music therapy programs teach and reinforce throughout their curriculum the code and subsequently, the nature of students’ experiences navigating and resolving ethical dilemmas during their educational experiences. This gap in knowledge about music therapy students’ experiences applying the code to ethical dilemmas extends to the music therapy interns who are simultaneously students while working, typically full-time for six months, in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to explore how music therapy interns navigate ethical dilemmas during their internship. As a qualitative study grounded in a phenomenological paradigm, the researcher conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with recent music therapy interns and then engaged in a process of thematic analysis to better understand their experiences navigating an ethical dilemma during their internship experience. The three main themes that emerged from data analysis include: 1) recognition and intuition; 2) intern ethical dilemma processing; and 3) supervisors and modeling ethics and perceived success of interns. Theoretical and practical implications of findings, as well as avenues for future research, are presented.