My hope in sharing this intervention with you is that you will be inspired to find ways to be trauma-informed in your sessions, especially as you address mental health concerns. I continue to see younger and younger children with emerging mental health challenges, and I think this trend will continue in the months and possibly years to come. This creates even more of a need to consider the client’s experience and perspective as it relates to a sense of safety in the session and in their relationship with their music therapist.

My attention is not divided. I’m not multitasking. I’m not half-way listening. I’m REALLY listening so deeply so I can hear you.

I do believe that some people respond better to this approach than others, but when it is all that you have, I’ve seen teachers, paraprofessionals, students and even myself, make the most of it!

With the advent of instant and unlimited music streaming and headphones, it may be hard to keep tabs on what music kids and adolescents are consuming for almost 15 hours a week. A question that many parents ask, and some may not know to ask is- how does explicit content in music affect my child? And for music therapist’s out there, when utilizing songs with explicit content, or entering into lyric based discussions- it’s important to know how your client’s preferred music may be influencing their behaviors and attitudes in your session and in day to day life.