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About Music Therapy

What is music therapy?

Music therapy is the clinical use of music in therapeutic spaces to support one’s goals, perceived needs, and health process. Music therapists are nationally board certified and sometimes state-licensed (according to state regulation) after completing a university-affiliated music therapy program which includes 1040 hours of clinical field experience.

For more information on music therapy, please visit the Board Certification of Music Therapists at cbmt.org.

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A music therapy session participant does not need to have any prior background or experience in music. Music experiences in sessions range based on preferences, comfort levels, and goals. Examples of music experiences include but are not limited to:

  • Music making (singing, improvisation, drumming, playing/learning how to play an instrument)

  • Song composition (songwriting, digital production/recording)

  • Active music listening (lyric discussions, music and mindfulness, immersive listening, intentional playlist creations)

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Benefits of Music Therapy

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Music therapy has the potential to support a variety of needs and goal areas. Music therapy participants often engage in music therapy as a supplement to traditional therapy, or as a primary means of therapy when all other modes have been exhausted. Amanda’s work is predominantly grounded in mental health/wellness support for individuals from teens (13+) to end-of-life with experience in the following areas:

 

Trauma/PTSD - Depression - Anxiety - Mindfulness - Resource Building - Identity Building - Life Transitions - LGBTQIA+ - Grief and Loss  - Adolescent Mental Health - Adult Mental Health - Seniors - Dementia - End-of-Life Care
 

Research and client experiences identify benefits of music therapy such as:

  • a more accessible, and sometimes “safer,” way to experience and process emotions that feels different than traditional therapy

  • More access to one’s creativity

  • Increased coping skills

  • Affirmation and validation of one’s lived experience

  • Mood regulation/grounding

  • Connecting to internal resources, such as hope, resilience, and empowerment

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