Dr. Therese West, interim music therapy program director, was a featured speaker at conferences in Sweden and Chicago in 2012.

In September, she traveled to Vadstena, Sweden, where she spoke at an international conference for practitioners of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. In her presentation titled What is Healing? Cedar Woman Finds Her Medicine, she shared music selections, personal and client imagery, and mandalas illustrating simplicity and focus in the BMGIM adaptation known as "music imagery," a highly effective, flexible method to support the individual's experience of healing while facing serious medical challenges.

In October, Dr. West participated in an institute for professional development at the American Music Therapy Association national conference in Chicago. The Multicultural Music Therapy Institute was chaired by two of Dr. West's former students, Xueli Tan and Annette Whitehead-Pleaux. She described it as a "ground-breaking experience" in which these young leaders are advancing diversity competencies for the music therapy profession. Dr. West's talk addressed cultural issues of the Native American. A manual, consisting of chapters by each of the presenters, will be published in the near future.

Dr. West was also invited to be a member of the American Music Therapy Academic Program Approval Committee this summer. The invitation came in recognition of her work in curricular development and successes in submitting program re-approval applications for undergraduate and master's level music therapy programs at her former institution. She continues to serve on this national committee as an at-large member.