Tuning the instrument: a phenomenographic exploration of the value and praxis of personal (music) therapy for music therapists

This dissertation explores how music therapists understand and experience personal (music) therapy within their professional and personal lives. Initiated in response to an evocative assertion by Bruscia (1998) and informed by the researcher’s own engagement with therapy, the study addresses a relative gap in the empirical literature on the topic. Using phenomenography as the primary methodological approach—supplemented by a critical realist interpretive lens—this research sought to illuminate the variation in perspectives held by practicing music therapists regarding personal therapeutic engagement. Semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of 18 U.S.-based music therapists revealed four major thematic constellations: Contextual Factors, Convergent Themes, Divergent Themes, and Emergent Themes. These themes encompassed shared benefits of therapy, internal and systemic tensions in its ethical positioning, and emerging redefinitions of what constitutes reflective, therapeutic praxis in music therapy. Participants described therapy as both a resource and a relationship—shaped by personal, professional, and institutional conditions that influence access and processes through which therapists make sense of their experiences. Collectively, the findings highlight the complexity of therapeutic engagement, including its layered meanings and evolving significance across cultural, institutional, and developmental contexts. The study contributes to music therapy’s evolving discourse on critical reflection, professional formation, and ethical practice, and offers implications for training, supervision, and future research.