Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) Practice Exam

What should a music therapist do after a client discusses fears and life stories during an initial session?

1. Discuss favorite songs important to the client's life

2. Improvise soft guitar music to help the client go to sleep

3. Compose a song together reflecting the client's disclosure

4. Close the session and bring the client's favorite music to follow-up visits

The correct answer is: Improvise soft guitar music to help the client go to sleep

The best approach after a client discusses their fears and life stories during an initial session is to compose a song together reflecting the client's disclosure. This option allows for a therapeutic engagement that is directly tied to the client's emotions and experiences shared during the session. Collaboratively creating a song serves multiple purposes: it validates the client's feelings, offers an avenue for expression, and helps solidify the therapeutic relationship. Engaging in a song creation process can also facilitate emotional processing and provide a tangible representation of the client's voice and narrative, which can be empowering. This method encourages clients to take an active role in their therapy, promotes self-reflection, and can potentially aid in their coping strategies. In contrast, while discussing favorite songs may serve as a bonding exercise, it may not address the depth of the fears and stories the client has just shared. Similarly, improvising soft guitar music may provide comfort but lacks the active engagement and personalized touch that composing a song together would provide. Closing the session with a plan to follow up with the client’s favorite music does not build on the immediate emotional context of the sharing and might miss an opportunity for deeper therapeutic engagement in the moment.