Certification Board for Music Therapists
Dr. Dena Register is a seasoned music therapy clinician, educator and researcher, who specializes in program development. In 2009, Dr. Register was awarded a Council for International Exchange of Scholars Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and conduct research at Mahidol University, Thailand. She developed the “Therapeutic Uses of Music” training to begin building awareness and appreciation of music therapy as a discipline among medical and education personnel. She helped developed and launch the first music therapy Masters degree program in Southeast Asia at Mahidol University College of Music in 2013. She continues her work there as a consultant, teacher and researcher.
She is pleased to support the FGCU music therapy program as an adjunct professor. Prior to joining the Bower School of Music in this capacity, she designed and implemented the music therapy program at West Virginia University, serving as the director of music therapy from 2015-2018, and was an Associate Professor in the music therapy program at the University of Kansas from 2003-2015. Additionally, she served as the Director of Faculty Programs in the Office of International Programs and a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Register also serves as the Director of Program Development and Talent Recruitment for Enlighten Continuing Education (www.enlighten-ce.org). Her clinical experiences provided the foundation for her teaching interests. She is also the faculty leader of an intensive summer study abroad programs for students in music therapy. Her teaching experiences reflect her love for engaged learning, travel and international perspectives in the field of music therapy for students and professionals alike.
Her consulting work in the US is primarily centered on the recognition of music therapy by state governments and the recognition of the MT-BC credential as the required credential for all practicing professionals. As the Regulatory Affairs Advisor for the Certification Board for Music Therapists, she works with music therapists across the country on obtaining this professional recognition.
