Continuing Education Needs of Music Therapists: Views of Practitioners From Developing Countries.

Continuing education is important to enhance the efficacy and effectiveness of music therapy practice. Literature on continuing education needs of music therapists in developing country contexts in particular, is needed. This article reports a cross-sectional survey of music therapists' perspectives from select developing countries to explore their continuing education needs. Music therapists (N = 331) were recruited from six developing countries. One online questionnaire was used with open-ended questions on what they seek in terms of on-the-job professional development and continuing education. Respondents suggested the need for continuing education programs on cultural reflexivity, improvisations, and new methods and techniques. In particular, they needed refresher training on ways of taking into account cultural and contextual factors in practice and ways to engage with indigenous or native and ethnic music. Therapists' gender and core practice expertise or main clientele with whom they practiced contributed to variations in continuing education needs. This survey adds to the growing domain of research on regional differences in music and music-making, and how that would impact music therapists' continuing education requirements. Evolving new theoretical approaches through culturally-reflexive music therapy practice, improvisations through the use of indigenous or native art forms, and building organic music therapy models using indigenous music, may be the focus of investing in continuing education of developing country practitioners.