Examination of professional boundaries between music therapy and counseling

The purpose of this study was to examine and define professional boundaries between music therapy and counseling, crossing of professional boundaries, and to explore the ethical implications of crossing professional boundaries. Two online surveys with parallel sets of questions were sent to board-certified music therapists and licensed professional counselors within the state of Texas to assess the use of verbal techniques in music therapy practice and the use of music/music therapy techniques in counseling. Surveys consisted of both quantitative and qualitative components: participants were asked to respond to Likert scale questions in the first portion of the survey and to answer open-ended questions in the second part of the survey. Elements of professional boundaries derived from emergent themes are discussed and a dynamic model of professional boundaries is proposed herein.