As the job – or “practice” – of a music therapist evolves and changes, it’s essential that the certification program also evolves to incorporate these changes. It was Winston Churchill who said: “To improve is to change.” That is the goal of the Practice Analysis process in the music therapy profession – to incorporate the changes in the way music therapy is practiced as it develops and improves over time.

Every five years, the Practice Analysis is conducted to develop new Board Certification Domains for the music therapy profession. As CBMT’s primary responsibility is to administer the certifying examination for the MT-BC credential, its exam is based on this nationwide music therapy Practice Analysis that is reviewed and updated to reflect current clinical practice. Board certified music therapists must practice within the Board Certification Domains and adhere to the CBMT Code of Professional Practice.

The five-year mark is quickly approaching, and the preliminary steps in the process are already underway. The first step – applications for Practice Analysis Committee (PAC) members for this cycle – were due by the beginning of September.

This committee is intended to be a cross-section of the certificant body rolled up in 10 to 12 carefully selected professionals. They apply and are reviewed by the board development committee, then recommendations for selection are made to the board.

The work of the PAC committee will begin in earnest in early 2024. PAC committee members are practitioners and educators who are appointed to the committee. Part of their work is to document their practice and try to ensure representation of every theoretical model, population served, and all different cultural areas that need to be represented so that no bias is involved in the creation of the survey – or that biases are noted and addressed.

The PAC committee will develop a new Practice Analysis Survey that will be distributed in summer of 2024. Data regarding knowledge, skills, and abilities is collected by asking current practitioners to complete a detailed survey regarding their actual on-the-job requirements. Examinations are then linked to the defined body of knowledge based on data from the Practice Analysis and created to demonstrate a high degree of reliability and validity through psychometrically accepted statistical methods.

The responses to that survey will be reviewed and new test questions will be developed based on any new content the survey responses bring to light. The process measures practice and creates Board Certification Domains (BCDs) – effectively the exam content outline. To be included on the BCD listing, responses must meet a threshold of importance and inclusion across the total number of all responses, all geographic regions, and all years of experience.

Those new test questions will be incorporated into the CBMT Board Certification exam beginning in 2025. Old exam items not relative anymore are revised or retired, and new content items are incorporated into the exams after being pre-tested to ensure content validity and reliability.

All told, the process for the Practice Analysis takes a couple of years.

“It’s a highly complex process, but it boils down to a simple question: What is the job of a music therapist at this point in time, and what does competence in the profession look like?” said Joy Schneck, CBMT Executive Director.

The Practice Analysis works to advance the profession of music therapy. It encourages necessary links between examination content and job conduct by defining content that is critical to practice, and it also identifies the critical and essential skills necessary for safe and effective music therapy practice.

The current CBMT Board Certification Domains in use were developed from the results of the Practice Analysis study that kicked off in 2018 and was completed and put into effect in 2020. The Board Certification Domains define the body of knowledge that represents competent practice in the profession of music therapy and identifies what an MT-BC may do in practice. Continuing education credits, for example, must relate to an area identified in the Board Certification Domains.

The Practice Analysis process currently getting underway will lead to new Board Certification Domains  which will be the source of reference for recertification requirements and test specifications beginning in 2025.

Why is the Practice Analysis conducted automatically every five years? “Over the years, we’ve determined that the five-year mark is long enough but not too long to reevaluate what is happening in the profession,” Schneck said.

One of the rapidly changing aspects in the profession that will be thoroughly examined is the increasing use of telehealth and telepractice – which skyrocketed during the pandemic. What do competency measures in this type of practice look like? That is part of what the Practice Analysis will evaluate in this cycle.

The Practice Analysis is developed using guidelines issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and American Psychological Association standards for test validation. CBMT also works with a testing firm, PSI, and adheres to the guidelines of the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. The MT-BC program is accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies, the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, ICE, which additionally requires these practices to be followed.

You can watch CBMT’s video explaining the Practice Analysis process in more detail. To learn more about CBMT’s role in the profession of music therapy, visit cbmt.org.

Every three years, the World Congress of Music Therapy brings together music therapy professionals and experts in related fields from around the world. The location and host organization may change, but the goal is the same: to share ideas, experiences, trends, research outcomes and camaraderie in the international music therapy community.

This year’s event is at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, from July 24-29. The theme for this 17^th World Congress is “Music Therapists: Reflecting, Connecting and Innovating in the Global Economy.”

CBMT is a Silver Sponsor – Allegro of the 2023 World Congress and CBMT staff will be on hand in Booth 1, sharing information regarding its mission: the importance of credentialing and the value of CBMT’s MT-BC certification program.

“We’re very excited to experience and be involved with the world music therapy community at this year’s Congress,” said Joy Schneck, CBMT Executive Director.

CBMT has always been an enthusiastic supporter of events that strengthen the music therapy community; however, this is the first time CBMT is one of the featured sponsors at this international gathering. Sponsorship of the World Congress offers many benefits for CBMT as well – cementing its presence as an important contributor in the world’s music therapy community.

CBMT supporters can enjoy seeing the information about CBMT under the Confirmed Supporters section of the conference website – and learn more about CBMT’s International Application information at cbmt.org.

CBMT provides interested board certification candidates the opportunity for music therapy credentialing worldwide. While CBMT has always been open to providing certification to anyone requesting it, global interest in CBMT certification is growing. CBMT has received many international inquiries and has tested individuals from over 25 international universities from Ireland, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chili, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Korea, and Indonesia. Currently, six percent of all MT-BCs live internationally. While most reside in Canada, there is an increasing population in Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, in many European countries, in Australia, and in South America.

The International Application for exam eligibility is available to anyone with a degree in Music Therapy and with 1200 hours of supervised clinical experience by a qualified music therapy professional. CBMT holds an agreement with the Canadian Association for Music Therapy to test as a requirement for their designation of MTA. CBMT tests are solely in English except in Canada, where (as required by Canadian law) exams are offered bilingually in French and English. CBMT administers exams through PSI, Inc. at locations worldwide. You can learn more by visiting the CBMT website.

“Providing a response to global requests,” according to Joy, “helps to identify and support a minimum standard for Music Therapy practice which in turn helps identify, promote, and support emerging practice around the world – and identifies and promotes a standard of competence that is valued worldwide.”

If you are attending this year’s conference in Vancouver, you can connect with CBMT at Booth 1 just inside the entrance door, and as always, you can learn more at cbmt.org.

CBMT is committed to providing you with the tools necessary to achieve your professional goals and we understand that communicating your credentials in an ever-expanding online marketplace can be challenging. That is why we have partnered with Credly to provide you with a digital version of your credentials. Digital badges can be used in email signatures or digital resumes, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. This digital image contains verified metadata that describes your qualifications and the process required to earn them.

CBMT badges are

• shareable on any digital platform: social media, email signature, embedded in your resume, or the web
• authenticated by CBMT and trusted by employers, colleagues and industry peers
• a single source that combines your credentials and provides a complete overview of your skills
• the new way to access labor market insights to find out who’s looking for qualified music therapists

Accept yours now!

 

It was Julia Child who said: “You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.” That’s how most of us in the music therapy field feel about what we do. That’s also why continuing education is required in almost every field where ongoing expertise is required to ensure professional excellence.

Every five years, as part of their recertification process, practicing music therapists across the country must complete 100 CMTEs to maintain certification. Continuing education in music therapy is essential for ensuring that methodologies in practice align with the latest evidence-based guidelines.

CMTE – or Continuing Music Therapy Education – credits are earned by board-certified music therapists to maintain certification. One way to earn CMTEs is through Approved Provider opportunities offered by individuals or organizations who are approved by CBMT to offer them. There are other options that can count toward recertification credits, including giving presentations and supervising interns, but CMTE opportunities are a widely-utilized method.

Approved Providers are an essential component of CBMT’s recertification process, and they are held to high standards. While not just anyone can be an Approved Provider, the actual process for becoming one is actually very simple – although navigating through the various steps on the website application can appear to be a complicated process if you are not familiar with it. That’s why CBMT recently created two step-by-step videos to clarify the process.

Understanding the Approved Provider Process

The first video – How to Apply to Become an Approved Provider – is designed to work in tandem with CBMT’s website and basically escort new potential Approved Providers through the various steps that will ensure a successful application.

While the video will walk applicants through each stage of the application process in a little over five minutes, there are four lengthier first steps recommended to make the process easier:

• Familiarize yourself with CBMT’s website, particularly the Approved Provider main page
• Read the Approved Provider Manual accessible on the CBMT website
• Download and fill out the required forms so they are ready to submit when you reach that point in the application process
• Familiarize yourself with the checklist provided for the Approved Provider application process

Applicants will need to set up a CBMT account to begin the application, and the video explains that as well. If you wish to create an account now, complete the form here.

The process for approval takes six to eight weeks from start to finish. If you still have questions about the Approved Provider process, most can be answered by our FAQs. To become an Approved Provider, watch our video below:

How to Submit Your Continuing Music Therapy Education Opportunity for Approval

Each new continuing ed opportunity must be approved by CBMT. The new video – How to Submit Additional Opportunities as an Approved Provider – can take you through the process in less than five minutes.

It’s as simple as logging into your CBMT Approved Provider account and submitting the course promotional materials in the “Additional Opportunity” section.

The video leads you through each section and offers helpful hints. One of the most helpful is how you can avoid delays by being sure to click “Submit for Staff Review.” Many Approved Providers have waited for a length of time with no response before finally calling CBMT to inquire on the progress of their new opportunity approval, only to find it was never submitted because they accidentally overlooked that final step in the online application process. The devil, as they say, is in the details.

For detailed guidance on how Approved Providers should submit continuing music therapy education opportunities for approval, watch this video:

The Importance of Examining Ourselves

Socrates is famous for having said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” On the other hand, Robert Fulghum – the author of “All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” – jokingly commented that “the examined life is no picnic.”

While it’s true that self-examination is never an easy process, we all agree excellence cannot be achieved without it.

At CBMT, our mission is rooted in self-examination. Awarding board certification through our credentialing process – based on proven, up-to-date knowledge and competence in clinical practice – is our very reason for existing.

Understanding the MT-BC Credentialling Process

CBMT is the only certifying board for music therapy in the United States. Since 1986, our Music Therapist-Board Certification (MT-BC) program has been formally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Board certification in music therapy provides an objective standard through comprehensive testing that ensures all certificants are prepared to practice music therapy with competence. We are committed to unconditional compliance with stringent testing and measurement standards.

CBMT looks to The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) for best practices in credentialing and latest trends in certification, test development and delivery. We work with PSI, a testing vendor, to ensure a quality program for NCCA Accreditation, as well as legal defensibility, exam development, psychometric services and exam administration.

It is CBMT that forms Board Certification Domains (BCDs), which are the areas that reflect the current job tasks of a music therapist – and that define what makes up a current, competent music therapy practice. These BCDs are data-driven from the Practice Analysis Survey CBMT conducts every five years. A 10-member committee of diverse Subject Matter Experts appointed by CBMT makes up the Practice Analysis Committee, working together with PSI to create the survey questions sent to all currently credentialled MT-BCs.

The survey data is used to regularly update and revise the BCDs that shape our exam content. CBMT’s Exam Committee is responsible for writing the exam content. New exam questions are presented as pretest exam questions for a full year and the psychometric data reflecting validity and reliability for each of the questions are reviewed by the committee. Based on the psychometric outcome, they either become official scored exam items, get revised and pretested again for another year, or don’t make the cut.

It is a meticulous, rigorous process – and like Robert Fulghum said, it’s no picnic – but all certified practitioners of music therapy must fulfill the required training and education and successfully complete the CBMT Board Certification exam before being certified and receiving their MT-BC credential.

On a Mission

CBMT is on a mission to increase understanding of our examination and credentialling process. Learn more about the CBMT Board Certification exam in the examination section of our website.

Board certification begins with the academic and clinical training requirements as established by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) in the United States and Canada respectively, and internationally, when comparable training is documented. When preparing for the exam, be sure to familiarize yourself with the CBMT Candidate Handbook and BCDs, use the Self-Assessment Exams as practice, and access the Self-Assessment Bibliography as a helpful resource. The exam itself consists of 150 multiple-choice questions, 130 of which are scored, and 20 questions are being pre-tested to obtain validity and reliability statistics before being approved for use on the scored portion of the exam. Once you are ready to take it, simply find a PSI testing center and make an appointment to lock in your exam date. Visit our website to learn more about state licensure and the steps you can take after completing the exam.

For a helpful recap on the CBMT Board Certification exam, check out the video below created to demystify the examination process. We wish you the best of luck in securing your credential and joining our incredible community of MT-BCs everywhere!