Music Therapy in Austria: A National Survey Study on the Professional Situation of Music Therapists

In 2018, the Music Therapy Research Centre Vienna (WZMF) conducted a national survey on the professional situation of music therapists in Austria. Following a previous survey from 2011, this study aimed to provide current data and to illustrate changes in the professional field. Since 2009, music therapy in Austria is regulated by a Music Therapists Act. All working music therapists have to be registered and therefore they constitute a homogeneous group, which enables systematic research in the field. An invitation to an online survey was sent to all 405 music therapists that were registered as of October 2018. The survey covered the music therapist's current working situation including working place, hours of work per week, field of work as well as legal and financial issues. With a response rate of 73.8 %, the results offer representative data from 380 working places. In general, the findings show an increase of music therapy services, which are offered most frequently for children and adolescents with developmental or behavioral issues (22.5 %), and for adults with mental health issues (21.5 %). Based on the high response rate, the results provide representative data for the situation of music therapists in Austria. Beyond that, these data may be also used as references to support professional development internationally.