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Robin Edwards, The Counselor as Practitioner-Researcher: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 59, Issue 1, Spring 2022, Pages e1–e3, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thab019
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Are you familiar with the saying, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right!”? When Henry Ford made this famous statement, it is doubtful he was thinking about music therapists and their relationship to research, but it certainly applies! “Research” is one of those words that can evoke feelings of pure excitement in some and complete dread in others. For music therapy clinicians and students who love nothing more than to read the latest issue of the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, or Behavioral and Brain Sciences, evidence-based practice and related principles elicit feelings of comfort and joy. For those of us, however, who begin to sweat profusely every time it becomes necessary to head to the basement of the library in search of scientific periodicals, there is hope! Keep reading.
Research has played a valuable role in the field of music therapy for over 50 years. Without well-designed research, music therapists would have low-quality evidence upon which treatment decisions could be based. However, as in many fields, clinicians have felt the chasm, often referred to as the research-to-practice gap (Frazier et al., 2008; MTR 2025 Proceedings, 2015; Parsons et al., 2021), between the published research and its application to everyday clinical decisions. In recent years, both researchers and clinicians have worked to bring their expertise together for the benefit of those who receive our services. Through collaborative research efforts, researchers and clinicians have begun to bridge the research-to-practice gap (MTR 2025 Proceedings, 2015). We are not alone in our desire to improve our treatment outcomes and advance our field through the intentional informed use of quality research. In fact, as evidenced by the text, The Counselor as Practitioner-Researcher: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, by Parsons, Owens, and Neale-McFall, the profession of counseling desires the very same thing.
