Our Code of Ethics

It's time for me to spend some time reading the American Music Therapy Association's Code of Ethics. I try to re-read all of the documents that AMTA publishes for its members every time I get ready to welcome a new intern to my internship program. I will welcome #27 in (gulp) nine days, so it is time to get back into the process of thinking like a mentor and like a proud AMTA member.

I find the entire topic of ethics both comforting and challenging. I like that there are some boundaries out there, but I am often uncomfortable when placed into gray situations. The Code of Ethics offers some of those boundaries, but much is left to the individuals involved when it comes to determining whether an ethical dilemma is a violation. That's the part of the entire thing that makes me squirm in my chair a bit.

I have been involved in discussions where things were not completely comfortable but were not an ethical violation. I have had to make a determination that a situation was not a violation of other guidelines, but seemed unethical to me. I do much better when decisions are clear - break the rules - bad; follow the rules - good. Life, however, is not that clear cut, so that's where ethics come into play.

I am liking our new(ish) Code. If you haven't read the AMTA Code of Ethics in the past year, you need to! We now have a Code that is "grounded in a set of eight Core Values" (AMTA, 2019). It is a code that includes statements and operationalized aspects of each statement. I like this. I find it pretty interesting that AMTA is finally getting into operationalization of skills - I've been there for about 20 years now. I digress.

I have been spending some time looking into ethics lately, especially from the perspective of someone who offers intensive educational training to music therapy interns. My internship is an unpaid internship, and recently, someone stated that unpaid internships were unethical. That really hit a nerve with me, and I have since determined that all unpaid internships are not unethical, but certainly some are run in way that can be unethical. I wrote about this topic a bit more in depth in this post from August 15, 2019. Please let me know what you think.

As I am going into a new therapy mentor relationship with my next intern, I am reminding myself of all the things that we, as therapists, have to do to support our clients (always our clients first and foremost), our colleagues, and society at large. These are enfolded into the eight core principles identified by AMTA, and I am always a bit overwhelmed by the things that we need to remember as we walk this therapy walk and am also a bit humbled by the amount of power that we can have. It is the responsibility of each of us to know this Code and to follow this Code and to protect our clients through the lens of this Code. I wish it was something that all music therapists had to follow - not just AMTA members.

I am starting to finalize my webinar about finding an internship, and I am getting ready to launch a supervision webinar series for internship supervising music therapists. Ethics will not play a role in the first webinar, but it will play a significant roles in the series for MT-BCs. It has to. You cannot be a music therapy gatekeeper without thinking about ethics.

It is time to sit down with my notebook and write down thoughts that come through my mind as I read this very important document. I strive to be an ethical therapist and one who follows the rules, so this is part of my professional development and demeanor. I hope it plays a significant role in your life as well.