A critical reflection on the Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for music therapists: A critical disability studies perspective

Abstract

This article takes the theoretical and philosophical lens of critical disability studies to critically reflect on the Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for Arts Therapists. The discipline of critical disability studies, evolving from disability studies and the disability rights movement, is initially defined before multiple paradigms of disability are introduced as central tenets of these disciplines. The relationship between critical disability studies and music therapy is explored, with reference to seminal publications and the perceptions of music therapy within them. The Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency are then taken as a source of reflection to attempt to understand the perpetuation of medicalised perspectives in the profession and the potential friction between critical disability studies and music therapy. A selection of the Standards of Proficiency are analysed according to distinct paradigms of disability. Questions are posed to interrogate and contextualise the standards in relation to critical disability studies philosophy. From this critical reflection, a discussion emerges which reflects on the reach of these professional standards and how they might contribute to a continuing, outdated expert-model of music therapy in the United Kingdom. The article concludes by drawing these threads together in a series of recommendations to educators, practitioners and the wider profession.

Anti-oppressive pedagogy as an opportunity for consciousness raising in the music therapy profession: A critical disability studies perspective

“…The intersection between music therapy and disability studies has been historically fraught (see Pickard, 2020b; Tsiris, 2013) with resistance from scholars of music and disability studies to accepting the potential of music therapy as an emancipatory practice (Straus, 2011). A special issue of Voices in 2014 provided a welcome introduction to the potential of merging these fields (Cameron, 2014; Hadley, 2014; LaCom and Reed, 2014; Metell, 2014; Rolvsjord, 2014).…”

“…The intention of this article is to introduce critical disability studies (Goodley, 2017) as a theoretical and philosophical lens for this discussion, and to contextualise this framework in relation to music therapy (Pickard, 2020b). This is an important perspective to consider with the prevalence of music therapy practice which engages disabled people 1 (Carr et al, 2017).…”

Trends of differentiation and integration in UK music therapy and the spectrum of music-centredness

“…More recently, Pickard (2020), writing from a critical disability studies perspective, reflects on what she believes may be an outdated expert model of music therapy in the United Kingdom. She discusses this in terms of therapists being required to adhere to the Health and Care Professions (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency which Pickard believes to be aligned with deficit-based interpretations of difference, diversity and disability.…”

“…Ecological perspectives are important in music therapy, in balancing the type of 'one-way' thinking that can be associated with an over exclusive adherence to the expert model. Awareness of critical disability, neurodiversity and social justice-oriented perspectives is surely vital, where there may otherwise be the potential for expert 'normal' therapists to disable, disempower and demoralize clients through trying to 'fix' them (Pickard, 2020). Issues such as this are, however, complex, where Bruscia (2011) suggests that in integral thinking, it may be necessary and appropriate for the music therapist at times to inhabit an expert stance as much as there may be a need at other times to inhabit the role of simply being a musician or human being, working with clients similarly perceived, the relationship one of human-to-human.…”

An Autoethnographic Journey in Developing Post-Ableist Music Therapy

“…Alongside this, more therapists are becoming aware of alternative models of disability to that of the predominant medical model, such as the social model of disability (Gross, 2018) and other critical models that support social justice of stigmatised identities. Since finishing my PhD (post the journey I document here) other therapists have published about their experiences of disability and disability pride (Kalenderidis, 2020), challenged UK Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for Arts Therapists through the lens of disability studies (Pickard, 2020), and explored implications of the neurodiversity movement (Pickard et al, 2020). However, for the most part, sources in MT theory were lacking in detailed focus on ableism during the time I was grappling with my analysis findings.…”