Gender and Clinical Practices

As part of the study about culture and music therapy practices, I held two focus groups with music therapists that work in a variety of settings.  One of the groups had three males and two female music therapists as participants.  This is a unique combination in a field that predominantly female.   Not only is the field predominantly female, but music therapists also work in places such as early childhood settings, schools for individuals with disabilities, and facilities that serve older adults; all of which tend to be female dominated.

The unique composition of this group brought out some very interesting conversation about gender and music therapy practices.  The male participants described how they may have to face the perceptions of other people who are suspect of males working with young children or the challenges of people who think that a male might not know about how to interact effectively with young children.  

As the conversation continued, some of the female members of the group spoke about interactions with male clients.  One clinician brought up the social convention of males complimenting the appearance of a female and how complicated it can be when those social conventions cross into the therapeutic relationship.  It is important for the clinician to set appropriate boundaries, while not creating a tone of disrespect.

Both of these examples bring up some interesting ideas about gender role schema, or the expectations that we have about behavior based on socialized notions of gender.   We need to be conscious of not only our own beliefs about gender, but also the belief s of our co-workers, clients and client’s families in order to create understanding and avoid limitations.