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Learning
1st week of the month is focused on consulting research, literature, and experts to support continuing education around music therapy.
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Clinical
2nd week of the month is devoted to in-depth clinical learning and sharing including best practices, ideas, and resources.
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Wellness
3rd week of the month is all about wellness. Research, helpful tips & tricks, resources….your health & wellness matter!
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Music
4th week of the month is the language we know best….MUSIC! Musician spotlights, resources, songs, instruments, skill building, and so much more!
Life as an expat researcher with Claire Ghetti, PhD | #87
Today, Elizabeth sits down with Claire Ghetti to discuss her journey to becoming and expat music therapy researcher and professor in Norway.
Recreational Therapy and Biofeedback with Stephanie Lopes, Recreational Therapist, MSW, CTRS/R | #65
Elizabeth sits down with Stephanie Lopes to discuss her work as a recreational therapist, Social Worker, and her recent work with biofeedback in an acute psychiatric unit. We will speak specifically about the heartmath approach to biofeedback, which measure heart rate variability.
The Eighth Sense of Interoception | #60
Elizabeth walks us through the eighth sense of interoception and discusses how it may impact a few different populations in music therapy.
Functional Goal Writing with Dr. Andrew Knight, PhD, MT-BC | #52
“We all need the same things” - Elizabeth sits down with Dr. Andrew Knight, PhD, MT-BC to discuss compliance based goals, goal writing and IEPs through the lens of music therapy. This conversation extends beyond the field of music therapy and gets at the building blocks of goal writing and attending to the root of our clients’ needs.
Why Do We Love Music? | #48
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we probably have seen this play out in our own lives. Certain songs (or patterns of sound) elicit a full body response with sometimes an increased heart rate, feelings of elation, and even body chills. This is when we’ve experienced that “sweet spot” where the music is somehow better than our neurologic expectations.
Music Therapy in Adolescent Psychiatric Setting | #39
The study sought to understand how music therapy altered mood for adolescents participating in group services as well as the effect that demographics had on mood alteration, or not. The study was conducted at a large pediatric psychiatric hospital and included over 350 participants aged 12-21 in 3 different units of the hospital.
Is Music Good for You? | #30
You’ve probably heard people say things like “music is good medicine” or “music is good for you”. Is there something scientific to this old adage? Ellisa is going to synthesize a research review for you by authors Mona Lisa Chandra and Daniel J. Levitin called “The Neurochemistry of Music”.
Polyvagal Theory and Music Therapy | #14
In music therapy, we have a physical and auditory medium to promote regulation in the body organically within our practice. If we use Polyvagal theory to help inform our regulation practices in all types of therapy sessions (but especially when working with clients with trauma backgrounds) we can join in this groundbreaking approach to traditional psychotherapy and utilize the fullest potential of our toolset within the body- starting with the brain.
Music Therapy and Attachment | #9
Attachment is defined a little differently depending on who you are speaking to, but the first attachment theorist, the British psychologist, John Bowlby, described attachment as “a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.”
Clinical Ideas for Trauma-Informed Care | #6
I like sets of 3 so the formula we will use for this second half is 1) Awareness 2) Learning and 3) Intention. The first step in implementing effective trauma-informed care is awareness. This part is what we’ve already addressed. Awareness of the prevalence of trauma and awareness of those three main factors of predictability, connection and learning social and emotional skills. Now comes learning! This is where you look at effective strategies that can help in combating the effects of trauma for your clients, students and children.
Neurologic Music Therapy & Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy | #5
Today I’ll be comparing and contrasting Neurologic Music Therapy and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. In the small, but ever growing field of Music Therapists, most everyone recognizes these names and also recognizes the small, but maybe not so subtle, differences between the two. Are these two approaches really as contrasting as we think? What makes them so different and why have they become so polarized? These are just a few of the questions that came to mind when I chose this topic.
Trauma Informed Care - A Review | #1
This is the place where we as music therapists and other creative therapists come in. The unique nature of music and other creative arts experiences provide a space for this consistent and predictable environment, positive connection to others and awareness and learning of social and emotional skills and regulation.