Why Hire a Music Therapist?Written By: Bethany J. Rice, MT-BC  Most of us have experienced music’s therapeutic qualities; hearing your favorite song on the radio brings back good memories, humming a lullaby to your baby can soothe her as she falls asleep, and having music playing while you are in labor can help to take your mind off the pain. Music has many therapeutic qualities that can help us cope with stress, bring us a sense of unity with others, and allow us to express ourselves. If music itself has these intrinsic qualities why would you want to hire a music therapist? What makes music therapy administered by a professional different from these positive experiences with music? What sets music therapy apart from listening to your favorite song on the radio? Music therapy is an allied health profession which has existed in the United States since the 1950s. There are currently over 5,000 music therapists in our country and thousands more worldwide. Music therapists have at least a bachelor’s level education and have received over 1200 hours of clinical training. Music therapists are trained in piano, guitar, voice, percussion, song-writing, psychology, counseling, and physiology. Music therapists understand how music effects our brains and bodies, and have a broad body of research regarding music’s role in our health and well-being. We are trained to bring you experiences that address a vast number of needs from self-expression, communication, and mood improvement to pain reduction and relaxation. When might you find yourself, as a parent, in a situation when these services would be useful? More and more parents are choosing to use music therapy services during pregnancy and delivery. Perinatal music therapists offer services that can assist in all of the transitions regarding pregnancy and birth. Prenatal music therapy services include a package of four sessions encompassing self-care, birth song creation, playlist-making for labor and delivery, and a postpartum visit to assist with integrating music experiences with the child. Some parents notice that as their children get older, they may have developmental, social, communication, or mood-regulation needs. You are not alone if your child has a difficult time with transitions, has sensory needs that are difficult to address, or if their speech development is not matching up to what is considered “typical” for their age group. Music therapy has been shown to assist children and teens with such needs and can provide a space in which a child can use the expression of music and the relationship with the therapist to reach new goals. We can do this through interactive singing, instrument-play, songwriting, music-listening, movement to music, adapted music lessons and musical improvisation. Sometimes, parents may find themselves in need of support. Maybe you experience daily stress which can take a toll on your mental and emotional health. Perhaps you need a place where you can create and express yourself musically while feeling supported and grounded. Music therapy can reduce stress, bring awareness to the body, and facilitate expression in a supportive environment. We provide experiences with music and relaxation, songwriting, improvisation, and lyric analysis, to name a few. If we can assist you in any way, or if you would like more information on music therapy, feel free to reach out to us via email, phone, or visit our website! We provide free, 30-minute phone consultations and would love to speak with you.
read More Blog Posts:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Who are we?Cincinnati Birth and Parenting, LLC was founded by Molly Murray, a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. Through this growing company, Molly connects parents with information, resources, and support while also staying committed to building up fellow professionals and connecting them with the people who need their services most. Archives
April 2020
Categories |
RSS Feed
