Archived

This content is available here for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping.

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2082-947X

Date Available

1-30-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

College

Fine Arts

Department/School/Program

Music

Faculty

Olivia Yinger

Faculty

Martina Vasil

Abstract

Music therapy as a profession has long acknowledged burnout as a significant occupational concern, yet the experiences of marginalized therapists remain understudied. In particular, little research has explored how burnout and self-care manifest for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) women in a field historically dominated by white women. Most of the existing literature on this topic is focused on the majority identity of music therapists, white women. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the reported levels of burnout among BIPOC women music therapists as well as their reported frequency of engagement in self-care strategies and the relationships between the two. I sent a survey to the certification board of music therapy email list. The survey was composed of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey and the Brief-Mindful Self-Care Scale (B-MSCS). The survey was completed by 59 participants, all of whom identified as BIPOC women therapists, from various racial/ethnic identities, work settings, and regions. The results indicated moderate to high levels of burnout. Participants reported engaging most frequently in the self-care domain of supportive relationships, with moderate engagement in the self-care domains of supportive structure, self-compassion and purpose. The lowest engagement was seen in the self-care domains of mindful relaxation, physical care, and mindful awareness. Burnout and depersonalization both showed a negative correlation with mindful relaxation practices, self-compassion, purpose, supportive relationships, supportive structure, and mindful awareness but showed a positive correlation to physical care. Burnout showed a statistically significant negative correlation with mindful awareness. Depersonalization showed a statistically significant negative correlation with supportive structure and mindful awareness. Personal achievement showed a positive correlation with all dimensions of the B-MSCS but had a statistically significant positive correlation with self-compassion and purpose, supportive relationships, supportive structure, and mindful awareness. Personal achievement showed the most statistically significant correlations with the dimensions of the B-MSCS while Burnout showed the least. This study is important because it fills some of the gaps in the literature when discussing burnout among music therapists and how differences in gender and racial/ethnic identity can influence the overall effectiveness of self-care strategies to combat burnout.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.05

Archival?

Archival

Funding Information

This study was supported by UNITE Research Priority Area (RPA)  and University of Kentucky School of Music in 2025.

Download

Share

COinS