Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music

The Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music is a fee-paying, two-year part time course, providing advanced level training in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) therapy. The course is conducted through a series of eight 3-day intensive seminars (four seminars each year), allowing interstate students to be able to take the course.

The course is designed for music therapy graduates and professional people from fields allied to music therapy, who have completed introductory and intermediate courses in Guided Imagery and Music or the Certificate in Guided Imagery and Music-Introductory Level. On completion of the course, graduates will be eligible to apply for Registration with the Music and Imagery Associate of Australia, as Registered GIM therapists.

The course is approved by the Association for Music and Imagery in the USA. Graduates are eligible to apply for recognition as Fellows of AMI.

Please Note: There will be no intake into the Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music for 2010. The next intake will be for 2011.

On completion of the Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music, students will:

• Understand and be able to identify, use and evaluate concepts and principles of the GIM method;
• Have the knowledge of GIM music programs and an understanding of the effect of those programs on the well-being of clients;
• Have developed skills to identify goals to be achieved through GIM therapy and to be able to evaluate its effectiveness in achieving those goals;
• Have developed an understanding of common conditions and/or disorders in clients presenting for GIM therapy;
• Have studied research methods appropriate to GIM therapy and have carried out appropriate research;
• Have an understanding of the ethical responsibilities inherent in GIM therapy, particularly in relation to private practice settings;
• Be committed to enhancing the well-being of all clients.

The course structure over the 2 years requires:

• 8 subjects, comprising didactic teaching, seminars, group discussion, group consultations and group experiential work (a total of 184 hours class time).
• 100 client practice sessions (at the student's expense). 20 must be supervised by a Registered GIM practitioner.
• 20 personal experiential sessions in GIM (at the students' expense). These sessions must be conducted by a Registered GIM practitioner.

The course will be conducted through a series of 8 intensive seminars (4 each year), commencing Friday evening and concluding Monday evening, at periodic times throughout the year (February, May, August, November). In the intervening months between seminars, students will be involved in client practice sessions, in supervised sessions, in reading and written assignment work.

Students undertake the following part-time course structure, over a 2-year period:

YEAR 1: Semester One

Total Points for Semester 1 = 25

Semester Two

Total Points for Semester 2 = 25

Total Points for Year 1 = 50

YEAR 2: Semester One

Total Points for Semester 1 = 25

Semester Two

Total Points for Semester 2 = 25

Total Points for Course = 100

In order to be accepted into the course, applicants must satisfy three requirements:

1. A Bachelor of Music (Therapy) degree or Graduate Diploma in Music Therapy, with at least 2 years experience in a field of music therapy where counselling skills are practised (eg. psychiatry, hospice work). Applicants with experience in another field of music therapy work will need to have completed a course of study in counselling skills, or psychodynamic theory or practice, approved by the Faculty of Music.

OR

A tertiary qualification in a health field and at least 2 years experience in professional work, in which counselling skills are practised.

2. Satisfactory completion of an Introductory (Level 1) and Intermediate (Level 2) course of study in Guided Imagery and Music or the Introductory Certificate Course in Guided Imagery and Music, with recommendation from the primary trainers of the Intermediate (Level 2) course.

3. Have satisfied the selection committee at an interview, that the applicant is suited for, and committed to, the course.

Application Procedure

Applicants are required to apply online via the Faculty of the VCA and Music website - http://vcam.unimelb.edu.au/graduate/music

Three references are required: one from a professional colleague; one from a person who can provide a character reference, and one from the Primary Trainer of the Intermediate (Level 2) Guided Imagery and Music Course.

Applicants will be interviewed to determine suitability for and commitment to the course of study, personal work in GIM (at own personal expense), and the intensity of study. Interviews will be held in mid-November/early December each year.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit.

University of Melbourne postgraduate coursework degrees seek to develop graduates who demonstrate a capacity for contemporary professional practice and/or specialist knowledge and theory. Postgraduate coursework degrees have multiple purposes. They are designed to provide students with the opportunity for advanced knowledge and understanding in a specialist area; to enhance professional knowledge and skills; and to engage with new and emerging fields of study.

Graduates of this course are eligible to apply for Registration as GIM Therapists with the Music and Imagery Associate of Australia, and as Fellows of the Association for Music and Imagery in the USA.

The University expects its postgraduate coursework graduates to have the following qualities and skills:

• an advanced understanding of the changing knowledge base in the specialist area;
• an ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the discipline
• advanced skills and techniques applicable to the discipline
• well-developed problem-solving abilities in the discipline area, characterised by flexibility of approach;
• advanced competencies in areas of professional expertise and/or scholarship;
• a capacity to articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;
• an advanced understanding of the international context and sensitivities of the specialist area;
• an appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of original research;
• a capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work;
• a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship;
• an appreciation of the ways in which advanced knowledge equips the student to offer leadership in the specialist area;
• the capacity to value and participate in projects which require team-work;
• an understanding of the significance and value of their knowledge to the wider community (including business and industry);
• a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society; and
• where appropriate, advanced working skills in the application of computer systems and software and a receptiveness to the opportunities offered by new technologies.