Advocacy

Advocates are people and organizations who make their voices heard in their communities and industries. CBMT advocates for the music therapy profession in a number of ways. As someone involved in the profession who shares our commitment to excellence in practice for excellence in outcomes, you can be a powerful advocate, too.

What You Can Do

There are many reasons to be an advocate for music therapy:

• To increase access to services for clients
• To increase access to funding sources for services
• To elevate the music therapy profession and its members as expert resources on related issues
• For greater respect and recognition
• To educate legislators about music therapy and issues affecting clients and practices
• For increased employment opportunities and enhanced benefits
• To have legislators and staff associate music therapy with other healthcare and education consumer groups

We invite you to join us in our efforts to advocate for and advance the profession of music therapy. Read on for more information, or start now by contacting the chair of your state task force to find out what you can do to help achieve all levels of state recognition.

State Licensure

Board certification is voluntary, although it is required in some states for licensure, state certification or state registries.

Advancing State Recognition

To ensure that music therapy is provided by individuals who meet established qualifications for education, clinical training and credentialing, each state must officially recognize the music therapy profession and the MT-BC credential required for competent practice. Official state recognition is the first step toward successful inclusion within health and education regulations, which allows for improved employment opportunities and increased access to reimbursement and state funding streams, such as private insurance, Medicaid waivers and special education.

Since 2005, the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and CBMT have been collaborating on a State Recognition Operational Plan, a proactive effort to address the changing climate of the profession and the role of state regulation in the field. We provide guidance to state task force groups as they seek various forms of professional recognition in their states. Each state task force works in close cooperation with its own government agencies, the CBMT Regulatory Affairs staff and the AMTA Government Relations staff.

This national initiative is designed to support state task forces to advocate for music therapy services and obtain formal recognition for the profession and the MT-BC credential by:

• Facilitating local, regional and state advocacy efforts
• Submitting accurate language for legislation and state regulations
• Working with local music therapists to educate the state regulatory bodies, state government departments, state legislators and the public about music therapy
• Protecting the rights of board-certified music therapists to practice

Interested in helping?