Cross-cultural music therapy: Reflections of American music therapists working internationally

Interviews were conducted with three American music therapists working cross-culturally in Finland, New Zealand, and Singapore. Through a process of distillation results indicated three global meaning units including: a) In order for music therapy to be effective, the therapist must understand the impact of their individual culture and their client's culture on the therapeutic relationship; b) The culturally competent music therapist needs to be able to listen empathically, communicate effectively, and truly understand the client; and c) No matter how challenging working internationally may be at times, the therapist will grow, change, and “no matter what, it'll be worth it.” Limitations and recommendations for future research are also discussed.