Name:Aksana Kavaliova

School/Affiliation:Colorado State University

Co-Authors:Aksana Kavaliova1

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

Many music therapists work with trauma survivors. Music therapy as a profession formed from working with the veterans of WWI and WWII in the United States and Europe (Davis et al., 2008). EMDR therapy is one of the trauma approaches recommended by the World Health Organization. Unfortunately, to date not many music therapists can get trained in the EMDR approach: the training requires one to have a Master’s degree and, in many places, a mental health counselling/psychotherapy license or for music therapy to be a state-licensed profession (according to a few research participants and EMDRIA, 2023). In the US most music therapists have a bachelor’s degree which immediately excludes them from training (American Music Therapy Association, 2021). In Canada, many EMDR training places require one to have a mental health-specific education and registration with one of the professional colleges (e.g., social work, psychotherapy, psychology). Although not many training providers talk about music as an alternative stimulus, it is possible that dually trained music therapists with a vast knowledge of the benefits of music would use music-based interventions and experiences that go beyond listening to bilateral tones. This phenomenological research project was constructed to explore the experiences of EMDR-trained music therapists with the use of music in their sessions. Reference American Music Therapy Association (2021). Workforce analysis: A descriptive, statistical profile of the 2021 AMTA membership and music therapy community. https://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/2021_Workforce_Analysis_final.pdf Davis. E., Fitzgerald, J., Jacobs, S., & Marchand, J. (2023). EMDR and creative arts therapies. Routledge. EMDRIA-EMDR International Association (2023). Eligibility Requirements for EMDR Basic Training. https://www.emdria.org/eligibility-requirements-for-emdr-training/

Bio: Aksana Kavaliova-Moussi, RP, MTA, MACP, MM, NMT, is a PhD student at Colorado State University. She works full time as a psychotherapist at the Family Counselling Centre Niagara, and has her psychotherapy and music therapy private practice.