Learning together: An investigation into the potential of interdisciplinary peer review of clinical work as a music therapy training tool

The ability of music therapists to collaborate with other professions is considered highly important in music therapy literature. Benefits of such teamworking have been acknowledged for the profession itself, for the clients of music therapy interventions and for the individual therapist who collaborates. However, there has been little discussion regarding how music therapists acquire these skills required for collaboration. Furthermore, several authors have questioned the ability of new music therapists to adapt to collaborative professional environments. Interprofessional education is a principle used in a wider healthcare context to facilitate collaboration in practice. This study applies the principles of interprofessional education to a music therapy context, considering the application of peer clinical work review sessions as an interdisciplinary training tool within a UK music therapy training context. Using a qualitative, phenomenological paradigm, the experience of participating in interdisciplinary peer review sessions between a music therapy trainee and a dance movement psychotherapy trainee was modelled and described, and the potential of applying this training tool to a music therapy training course context considered. A scoping survey of current UK music therapy trainees was also carried out, to ascertain their experiences of interdisciplinary inputs to their training and the value placed on these inputs. The key findings were that interdisciplinary peer review was experienced as a beneficial addition to the training experience in a number of ways, including developing peer support, widening perspectives of other professions and providing an opportunity to develop cross-discipline communication skills. Furthermore, the survey revealed a preference from students for implementing more active interdisciplinary inputs to promote meaningful interaction with other courses. As such, these results could provide a framework upon which further development of interdisciplinary inputs within the UK music therapy training context could be based.msc_musunpub1780_ethesesunpu