What’s the Correct Definition of Music Therapy?

June 30, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

The music therapy world is a small one, but it’s growing in size. Based on stats recently provided by our certification board (and organized by one of my colleagues), our profession has almost tripled in size within the last 10 years. The infrastructure created to help support our profession is scurrying to keep up with […]

No, I Do Not Have a Machine Gun in My Guitar Case

January 8, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

January is the classic time of year to make goals. It’s a fresh start to try something again, try something new, or accomplish the things you’ve always wanted to. It’s fitting that January is the month where music therapists aim to promote the profession through sharing videos and stories of patient progress and music therapy […]

The Real, Eclectic Music Therapist

September 22, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

When I first started this blog, over three years ago now, I was working part-time for a music therapy private practice. I was still determining who I was as a music therapist, having only been in the field for a brief period of time. I moved into a full-time job a few months after that […]

The Continuity of Person-Centered Care

March 21, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

I’ve recently had the opportunity of working in both mental health and pediatric medical care. In my transition to adding pediatric medical care to my workload, many people have asked me how I feel about working with a more “difficult” population, meaning children with acute or chronic medical needs or with children who are dying. […]

How Saying “Yes” Leads to Advocacy

January 13, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

In the music therapy world, there’s an unspoken feeling among colleagues of being movers and shakers and big risk-takers in the healthcare world. Conversation between music therapists eventually lead to discussions of program proposal dreams, advocacy work, and general convincing of music therapy’s effectiveness to others. It’s with our advocacy that we create opportunities for […]

How Music Can Be Harmful

February 23, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

In my last post, I discussed questions I received from high school students during a Q&A. One question that stood out to me was: You said in your TED talk that music can be harmful. How is music harmful and why? This question caught my attention because it addresses a big misconception about music therapy – that it’s […]

Being a Music Therapist with Shortcomings

November 14, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

Working in mental health, I don’t disclose a lot of personal information about myself to my patients. This population already deals with a mixed-up understanding of personal boundaries. It’s part of who I am as a therapist to define what I do or do not reveal about myself that keeps these boundaries therapeutic. The question I […]