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Abstract

The aim of this paper was to synthesize available literature and research on music therapy services with LGBTQ+ individuals to propose a treatment model for LGBTQ+ affirming care. According to data collected by the Williams Institute in 2018, 4.5% of Americans identified as LGBTQ+, and the report reaffirmed the professional responsibility of music therapy professionals and students to provide ethically sound and identity-affirming services to this population (The Williams Institute UCLA School of Law, 2018). Further, the data supported the claim that providing quality services to this population was not a specialty concern and carried professional and educational considerations. As of the year 2020 there is no established standardized, evidence-based treatment model for LGBTQ+ affirming care that encompasses interventions, goal domains, and assessment criteria. However, researchers and authors on this subject have proposed interventions, models for radically inclusive practice, cultural assessment tools, best practices, and reactions to the topic from professionals. Several authors on this subject identified the need for an identity-affirming standard of care through standardized treatment models and assessment criteria. Recorded results of the application of proposed models and methods with LGTBQ+ are not generally available in the current body of research. The aim of this paper was to provide a summary of the available literature and research on LGBTQ+ affirming care in music therapy and to employ the literature as evidence to inform a proposed treatment model for LGBTQ+ affirming care.

Publication Date

3-2020

Keywords

diversity, music therapy, LGBTQ+, affirming care, inclusion

Disciplines

Music Therapy

Diversity in Music Therapy: A Treatment Model for LGBTQ+ Affirming Care

Included in

Music Therapy Commons

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