ABSTRACT
Just as the nature of music therapy is contested, the identity and legitimate role of music therapists is similarly debated. Because the two disciplines most closely related to music therapy are medicine and psychotherapy, the most common roles assumed by music therapists are analogous to the medical professional and the psychotherapist. 1 In North America and Australia, the role of “music therapist as medical professional” has held greater sway; in the countries of Europe such as the UK and Germany, the “music therapist as psychotherapist” construct has been more dominant. However, these observations of general trends do not provide an exclusive portrait of music therapy in any of these regions as there is a great deal of diversity in roles and influences throughout the world.
