Being a Music Therapist in a Behavioral Health setting presents both challenges and deeply meaningful moments. Here are just two examples of what patients expressed about music therapy during one of our days at the hospital. Reality Orientation with Music Therapy A patient came to my High Acuity group who had been in the..
Music Therapy in mental health settings has a tremendous impact on patients. Here is just a glimpse of what might happen in a typical day of music therapy at a behavioral hospital. Geriatric Group In my Geriatric group, everyone who was present for the session was engaged by playing instruments, participating in the themed word..
Learned Helplessness is the theory that depression and anxiety compound and worsen when an individual feels that they have no control. Here’s how music therapy can help. I remember her clearly. I read through her chart and prepared my clipboard. As I walked into her room I was overwhelmed by the heaviness she seemed..
Our Music Therapists have meaningful experiences every day when working with their clients. We’ve decided to share a few of those experiences to help paint a picture of music therapy. Making a Lasting Impact through Songwriting I find music therapy rewarding for a lot of different reasons. Probably the most rewarding one is when I..
There’s a lot more to drumming than just banging out a sweet rhythm. Here are 8 surprising benefits that come with getting your groove on. When most people hear “drum circle” they may have some stereotypical associations. And for good reason, I mean our society has used drumming in some pretty strange ways for a..
Music attached sound to his feelings, and in doing so it pulled the intensity of emotion out from inside of him, giving him a moment of peace. He asked if he could play a song he wrote on the guitar. Relieved at the chance to make music, he pulled the strap over his shoulders and stood to play. Admitted..
What is music therapy and how does it work? Good question. Here’s a simple answer. This is a somewhat difficult question to answer because music therapy can look very different based on who you’re helping. But for our purposes here, I will answer it based on our work here at Harmony Music Therapy, which focuses..
When the head and the heart work together in music therapy, amazing things can happen! I recently attended the Grief and Loss Training provided by the Center for Music Therapy in End of Life Care. Dr. Russell Hilliard was the instructor, and he flooded us with valuable information and beautiful learning moments unlike anything I’ve..
Music therapy is a powerful tool in helping people connect. From children to older adults, it can make all the difference. One of my favorite parts about being a music therapist is seeing the people with whom I work begin to connect with others in meaningful ways. I use music to address a wide..
Have you ever found yourself listening to music to influence your emotion? Whether it was to augment what you were already feeling or to change what you were feeling, we all have experience with turning to music as a way to cope. I have found this to be especially true with teenagers, where music is a..