Music therapy in Mexico has a long way to go

The latest research from Dr. Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz sheds light on the situation in Mexico

Dr. Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz recently published an article titled “Who are the Music Therapists in Mexico and How Do They Practice? An Online Survey of Professionals and Students“.

It sheds light on the existing music therapy practice in Mexico, which is largely limited or in its early stages of development. This research provides data to demonstrate this reality.

Here is the abstract of the article:

Music therapy in Mexico has a limited history, with isolated efforts to establish the discipline, lack of university programs, and limited public awareness of the profession. Given the lack of research about music therapy in Mexico, we implemented a quantitative online survey to understand the status of music therapy practice, inviting any selfidentifying music therapists that had practiced between 1997 and 2022. A small sample of self-identified music therapists (N = 33, including practicing music therapists and students) responded to the survey. This sample seems representative of practitioners in the country. Educational level varied widely, from no university degree (in any discipline) to master’s degrees in music therapy, obtained in other countries. Most practitioners (n = 20) reported having no university degree in music therapy. According to our results, music therapists working in Mexico address similar needs and are in similar settings to other music therapists around the world. The most common music therapy approaches are a humanistic approach developed in Mexico and the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, with receptive methods most often employed. Young adults with mental health needs, with self or family funding, are the most common clientele. Costs, treatment duration, and session duration are comparable to other therapies in the country, but the income from this practice is very limited. About two thirds of practitioners engage in supervision, and most use several documentation methods. We consider that Mexico displays an emerging discipline, with practitioners showing optimism, commitment, and enthusiasm to the professionalization of music therapy in Mexico. Suggestions for organizational efforts and support from other countries are included.

You can already get a glimpse about the situation in Mexico with reading the abstract alone, but of course, I encourage you to read the full text (open access, available both in English and Spanish). For some additional context, the Mexican Music Therapy Association (AMME) also provides a bit of the history of music therapy in Mexico here.

About Dr. Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz:

Eugenia Hernandez Ruiz, PhD, MT-BC is Assistant professor in music therapy at Arizona State University. Through her music therapy agency in Mexico, MusiCura, S.C., she provides clinical music therapy services, workshops and educational materials for parents, and supervision to other professionals. Her research interests include early intervention for children with autism, parent coaching, music and neuroscience, and music therapy student development. She has presented her work at regional, national, and international music therapy and autism conferences. Her research has been published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Music Therapy Perspectives, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, Psychology of Music, and Arts in Psychotherapy.

I am deeply honored to collaborate with Dr. Hernandez-Ruiz through AMME. She is the Mexican music therapist I respect the most and in my opinion the gold standard for other Mexican clinicians, researchers, and educators.

What is my takeaway from this article?

I am invested in the progression of music therapy in Mexico, which still has a long way to go. As such, I’m part of the Mexican Music Therapy Association’s (AMME) committee on training and education.

A major factor in improving music therapy in Mexico is ethical practice, so music therapists must understand and embrace ethics in their decisions and clinical work. The survey unsettles me, as I’m concerned that some self-identified music therapists may have limited knowledge of ethical practice and music therapy approaches for various populations. I hope this will change as we continue to work on creating awareness about ethical practice.

I’m optimistic that professionals in Mexico are eager to advance music therapy in the country. Though much remains to be done, I’m excited to collaborate with colleagues and keep pushing forward.

My vision is for Mexico to have multiple institutions offering music therapy degrees—Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD—and for the country to have many music therapists operating ethically with all populations. I also wish for one or more Mexican-led scientific journals focusing on music therapy research and publication.

I recognize that various models can be beneficial, but there must be common foundations guiding our work!