SERVICES
Music & creative Art Therapy
How can this type of therapy help me?
At some point in our lives, we all experience the powerful effects of music and the arts. Sometimes we may hear a song that brings us right back to a certain time and place, or a song that speaks our feelings and/or restores our sense of connection with others or connection with our sense of spirituality. Or sometimes we may see a photo or a painting that portrays a sentiment or represents something important to us. Over the years, thousands of research studies have documented the positive effects of music and the arts on human wellness, noting that music can improve mood and one’s ability to manage emotions; music can mobilize and motivate us; music can reduce pain, enhance relaxation and improve stress management; and music can facilitate memory recall and improve communication and socialization skills.
Music therapy and the creative arts therapies- also known as expressive therapies- are professions that utilize these intrinsic features of the arts in a supportive, person-centered environment, by providing unique, personalized creative strategies aimed at facilitating reflection and achieving inner growth.
Music therapists and creative arts therapists are trained licensed and board-certified therapists who are skilled in working with children and adults seeking treatment for a wide range of issues, including grief, stress, depression, tension/anxiety, relationship/communication difficulties and/or acute or long-term diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, trauma-related challenges and more. Therapists are also trained to work with Autism, Down’s syndrome and other neurological or developmental disorders.
In music therapy and creative arts therapy sessions, therapists offer a range of strategies that are tailored to clients’ needs and goals. Strategies include, for example: painting; drawing; story boards; journaling, memoir/legacy compositions and/or creative writing; therapeutic song writing; instrument playing, drumming; music listening and lyric discussion. Music is live and/or recorded and may also be improvised. Therapists and clients create and develop strategies together, that, especially over the course of therapy, assist clients in achieving their personal goals. Clients commonly experience improved self-determination and a deepened sense of meaning and purpose.
Therapy sessions typically last 30-55 minutes, depending on age of client and client’s needs, and can be held in person or remotely. The number and frequency of sessions depends on one’s personal situation and the therapist’s recommendations. Both individual and group sessions are currently available.
What is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. (American Music Therapy Association definition, 2005)
Who is Music Therapy For?
Children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and other aging related conditions, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities, and acute and chronic pain, including mothers in labor.
What can Music Therapy sessions help with; and how?
Emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills can be assessed through musical responses. MT-BCs design sessions for individuals and groups based on client needs using music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music.
Is Music Therapy a new profession?
While music therapy seems to lack presence in the North Carolina Triangle, the idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. The 20th century discipline began after World War I and World War II when community musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients’ notable physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals. It was soon evident that the hospital musicians needed some prior training before entering the facility and so the demand grew for a college curriculum. The first music therapy degree program in the world, founded at Michigan State University in 1944, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1994. The American Music Therapy Association was founded in 1998 as a union of the National Association for Music Therapy and the American Association for Music therapy.
Do I need to be a Musician to benefit from Music Therapy?
Absolutely not! If you come in with an appreciation for or connection to music in some way, that is more than enough to start with!
Is Music Therapy covered by insurance?
At this time, music therapy in North Carolina is not covered by insurance, however there have been case by case instances where insurance companies have paid for music therapy. Brinkley Brown is happy to assist you to explore this opportunity as we continue to learn what is possible. C/o Piedmont Music Therapy, you may view this PDF of organizations that financially support families to receive financial assistance for treatment: Click here to view the Music Therapy Resources PDF
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