Music therapy service provision via telehealth in response to covid-19 restrictions: A survey of Australian practitioners and consumers

Background: In response to government-imposed social distancing and travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many registered music therapists (RMTs) in Australia needed to transition to a telehealth model of service delivery. This was a sudden and unplanned change for most service providers and their clients, but with few other options, many Australian RMTs rose quickly to the challenge. Objective: With little previous literature or research guiding telehealth music therapy (MT) and a sudden surge of increased practice in this context, we took this timely opportunity to survey RMTs and consumers about their experience of MT service provision via telehealth. Method: We designed two anonymous online surveys and distributed these to all practicing Australian RMTs (n=640, 17 items) and telehealth MT service users (12 items). Results: We received 60 RMT survey responses and 16 consumer responses. Results indicated that while telehealth was perceived as an adequate interim measure to maintain access to therapy, for the majority of RMTs and caregivers, in-person therapy was preferred and felt to be more beneficial. Advantages of telehealth cited were reduced travel time/costs, increased access for clients in remote areas, and increased engagement/participation for some clients and also their caregivers. Disadvantages included technology/latency issues, more tiring to facilitate, decreased client engagement, and increased support/set up needed at the client end. Notably, telehealth sessions were structured differently to in-person sessions in terms of both content and length. Conclusion: The pandemic-related push to upskill in terms of equipment, platforms and telehealth session design has meant that many Australian music therapists now feel they have an alternative option for service provision when circumstances require, or clients prefer.