Supporting Music Therapy Majors with Mental Health Conditions

While college students are developing the abilities needed to navigate adulthood, they also face risks including psychosocial stressors, substance use, and sleep disruption. Students with mental health conditions may face additional challenges that can leave them feeling overwhelmed, anxious, lonely and exhausted, and result in poor academic outcomes, including dropping out of school. Music therapy majors, like other music or health professions majors, may be at greater risk for experiencing mental health conditions due to heavy course loads, pressure to succeed, and other factors. Thus, it is vital that institutions implement strategies to support the mental health of their students. We propose that music therapy programs take both general and targeted approaches to support the mental health and well-being of music therapy students. This includes recognizing the challenges students with mental health conditions may face during preprofessional field experiences and implementing the use of general and targeted supports tailored to meet individual needs. In this article, we discuss a range of proactive strategies that can be implemented by faculty and related staff to support the health, well-being, and success of music therapy (or other music) majors with mental health conditions. It is our hope that the information provided will help faculty create a safe atmosphere that supports positive outcomes for students.