Abstract
This survey research examined the work lives of music therapists in the United States. With the inclusion of data on salary, workplace and job satisfaction, stress, burnout, and happiness, a comprehensive picture of the working lives of music therapists emerges. On the whole, music therapists appear to be generally happy with their workplace and job conditions and to experience moderate stress and low burnout. Data regarding salaries reveal a complex economic landscape. Although the average full-time salary of a music therapist was $51,099.69, salaries varied widely, with newly credentialed music therapists and those with less than six years of experience reporting lower average salaries. Variations in salaries, stress, burnout, and happiness were also evident across workplaces. Implications for the profession, including advocacy efforts, support for early-career professionals, and additional support for career development, invite further discussion.
Highlights
Derived from a comprehensive survey of music therapists in the United States (US), this article describes the workforce characteristics, workplace and job satisfaction, stress, burnout, and happiness of board-certified music therapists
According to Gooding, while music therapists are at average risk of burnout, work environment and work demands appear to be most commonly associated with burnout, followed by salary and workload, variables that are relevant to the working lives and job satisfaction of music therapy educators
The work lives of music therapists in the United States have been examined, with a focus on their workplace and job satisfaction, stress, burnout, and happiness
Summary
Derived from a comprehensive survey of music therapists in the United States (US), this article describes the workforce characteristics, workplace and job satisfaction, stress, burnout, and happiness of board-certified music therapists. RESEARCH in several different countries (Chang, 2014; Oh, 2016) This has included a focus on the influence of job demands and autonomy on burnout (Kim, 2016), the relationship between work–life factors and job satisfaction (Clements-Cortes, 2013; Gooding, 2018b), and the relationship between stress and self-care practices (Moore & Wilhelm, 2019). Ferrer reported little change in salaries between 2010 and 2016 and significantly lower salaries than those reported by comparable health professions They described the ongoing challenges music therapists experience in being recognized professionally. Gooding (2018a, 2018b, 2019) examined the work lives of music therapists in a broad range of ways This has included work–life factors and the job satisfaction of music therapy educators (Gooding, 2018a), the occupational health and wellbeing of music therapists (Gooding, 2018b), and burnout among music therapists (Gooding, 2019). According to Gooding, while music therapists are at average risk of burnout, work environment and work demands appear to be most commonly associated with burnout, followed by salary and workload, variables that are relevant to the working lives and job satisfaction of music therapy educators
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