MT-BC case studies
MT-BC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Board certification for music therapists is awarded by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), an independent credentialing organization whose stated vision is to ensure access to safe and competent music therapy practice. The MT-BC credential signals to employers, clients, and regulators that a therapist has met one nationally applied competency standard, and CBMT maintains it through recertification and continuing education. The MT-BC case studies are 5 cases and about 2,932 words.
1Agitation After TBI in a Shared Room
Marcus is a 34-year-old man six weeks after a severe traumatic brain injury (initial Glasgow Coma Scale 6). He is in inpatient rehabilitation and is described as Rancho Los Amigos level IV: confused, agitated, and inconsistently oriented.
653 words, about 3 min2Setting a Poem Without Imposing Hope
A 16-year-old named Priya is hospitalized for major depressive disorder. She has written a poem and wants it “to become a song.” The poem has four stanzas; each line has seven syllables, and the natural stress pattern lands on syllables 2, 4, and 7.
646 words, about 3 min3Crying at a Childhood Hymn in Memory Care
Elena is an 82-year-old woman with moderate Alzheimer's disease living in a memory-care unit. Over three weeks she has stopped attending the twice-weekly music group, refuses morning hygiene care, and has lost 2 kg.
548 words, about 3 min4Port Access on Contact Precautions
Leo is a 6-year-old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He is in a single room on contact precautions for suspected Clostridioides difficile.
590 words, about 3 min5A Self-Harm Lyric in Group Songwriting
Jonah is a 28-year-old in a partial hospitalization program for borderline personality disorder and recurrent self-harm. In a songwriting group of six, he writes a verse: “The razor is patient, the door is unlocked.” He laughs and says, “Don't worry, it's just a song.” His individual therapist is on vacation.
495 words, about 2 min