40 Years of CBMT and 10,000 Certificants!!

Thank you to every current MT-BC!! Ten thousand MT-BC credentialled therapists are proudly representing the music therapy profession!! It’s so exciting to reach this milestone and pause for a moment to think about what this really means and how incredible it is!  There are 10,000 MT-BCs providing music therapy services, seeking recognition, and providing a greater awareness of the benefits of music therapy, all leading to greater access to music therapy services worldwide.

This journey officially began in 1983, 40 years ago, when CBMT was incorporated, and a group of committed music therapists worked together to create and implement an accredited music therapy certification program. A certification program was developed to measure music therapy practice and the initial competence necessary to enter the profession, with a program of recertification to ensure ongoing continuing competence in the profession. Thirty-five years later, the profession has responded.  More than 10,000 certificants are participating in a board certification program, with consistent growth rates of 5-7% each year, maintained even during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Further recognition is also expanding through the State Recognition Plan.  Washington just passed legislation for music therapy state licensing this spring. Seventeen states now have some type of formal recognition. Check out the listing on the CBMT website:

State Licensure Information – Certification Board for Music Therapists (cbmt.org)

The increase in the number of MT-BCs means more employers and consumers are realizing the unique benefits of music therapy and seeing a positive future for the role it plays in physical and emotional health.

To reinforce what was stated in an earlier blog when we were projecting this growth, as the profession continues to evolve, CBMT remains committed to our full support of facilitating certification through:

• Maintaining the highest possible standards for our national certification and recertification programs
• Maintaining the current standard for eligibility to sit for the national MT-BC examination
• Maintaining certification and recertification requirements that reflect current practice in the profession of music therapy
• Regularly assessing the current state of music therapy to establish an objective global standard of excellence
• Encouraging active involvement of board-certified music therapists in all phases of development for the CBMT examination and continuing education programs

The progress we are making in the music therapy field is truly exciting, and we look forward to watching – and facilitating – its continued growth for the next 40 years!!

#Iam1of10000MTBC