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“Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.” - American Music Therapy Association
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Someone who has:
Completed a music therapy degree from an accredited university
Completed a 6-month internship at an approved internship site
Passed the national board certification exam through CBMT
Maintains their certification through annual continuous education
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Music Therapists use music to meet non-musical goals. Some examples might be, but are not limited too:
Utilizing the properties of music as prompting to increase the expressive verbal communication of an autistic child
Utilizing therapeutic interventions, such as song writing or lyric analysis, to increase the coping skills of a teenager that is struggling with depression or anxiety
By co-treating with a Physical Therapist to motivate a patient with live music that is rehabilitating after an accident
By conducting community music therapy groups to help maintain the mental and physical functioning of individuals with the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and provide emotional support for their caregivers
By co-treating with Child Life Specialists to distract or relax a child during a procedure in a pediatric hospital
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This therapeutic intervention is used for a variety of reasons:
To promote bonding between a caregiver and child or reduce feelings of separation anxiety by listening to a heartbeat recording
To provide a healthy coping skill for an individual receiving hospice services and/or their loved ones through the guided, therapeutic process of writing an original heartbeat song
To provide comfort during a period of grief (a heartbeat display for a funeral/celebration of life event or to treasure amongst loved ones)
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