Music therapy and counselling services can be provided in a group or individual setting at our K’jipuktuk/ Halifax, NS and Katarokwi/ Kingston, ON locations. In music therapy, it does not require musical ability but is a process of making, being affected by, and responding to music to address client-specific goals. Services can be provided, but are not limited to, the following populations.
Infants, Toddlers & Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Growth & Development
Music therapy and counselling activities are effective in promoting skills and desired behaviours involving cooperative interaction (i.e. attention span, listening, sharing, turn-taking, fine and gross motor skills etc.).
Socialization
Studies show that babies are programmed to move to music and are said to prefer singing over simple speech sounds. Music with infants and toddlers is used to socialize, engage, and connect with the world around them. Music allows for great opportunity for child and parent connection, as the bonding hormone “oxytocin” is released when we listen to music.
Self & Creative Expression
Music gives infants and toddlers the opportunity for self and creative expression through the use of singing, vocalizing, and movement.
Individuals with Developmental Delays
Emotions
Music naturally encourages self-expression and creativity, which is useful to acknowledge, support, and validate the problems influencing our lives. Successful session experiences also help to improve self-confidence and self-esteem.
Cognition
Music therapy and counselling session can focus on promoting sensory integration, increasing attention span, improving motor skills and coordination of movement. It can also be used to facilitate learning of academic concepts and behavioural skills.
Socialization
Music therapy and counselling sessions can be used with individuals with developmental disabilities to promote social interaction and group cohesion. Music also can be used as a method of communication to develop social skills for those who are non-verbal.
Youth and Teens at Risk
Self-Worth
Socialization
Self & Creative Expression
Music is non-threatening in nature and is often readily accepted by youth with little to no resistance. Through active participation in music youth are given the opportunity to explore, discover, and create. Music activities may include: listening to music and discussing lyric content, private music lessons, composing and songwriting, improvisation with voice and/ or instruments, recording music, or musical art projects.
Mental Health and Trauma
Socialization
Emotions
Music, through its structure, order, and flexibility, can serve as a grounding experience for those who are agitated, anxious, distressed, confused and depressed. The emotional and expressive nature of music can serve as a bridge to self-awareness, insight, and identification of feelings, in turn improving self-esteem and promoting growth and wellness.
Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury & Neurologic Movement Disorders
Positive Affect
Due to the emotional components in music an individual’s feelings and moods can be enhanced. This can be especially meaningful with these individuals as they experience loss and grief. Research also shows that the preferred music of an individual stimulates the production of the hormones dopamine and serotonin, which is reduced especially for those with Parkinson’s Disease
Movement
Automatically or subconsciously initiating movement often becomes increasingly difficult for these individuals. Physical rehabilitation can be addressed through music, movement, dance, and rhythm to enhance mobility, balance, and coordination of movement.
Language
Singing shows improvement with individual’s speech when it has become slurred and unclear. Breathing exercises and vocal techniques used with singing can help with: sustaining the voice, increasing and controlling volume, varying pitch and expression, improving diction, and controlling vocal speed.
Grief, Loss and Bereavement
Explore
Individuals can also explore how broader socioeconomic, cultural, political, and economic external factors affect their lives, in turn impacting intrinsic motivation and sense of self.
Strengths
The individual will focus on their strengths, abilities, values, and beliefs, to help work through the problems influencing their life. Research shows that as we focus on our authentic self our positive personal narratives become engrained in daily living.
Support
We offer grief and loss sessions to support awareness, processing, and development of insight into positive and negative personal narratives.
Seniors: Dementia & Alzheimer’s
Cognition
Music is one of the only activities, whether it’s passive with listening or active with playing instruments, that activates multiple areas of the brain at the same time. Through cognitive stimulation, music can provide activity to deteriorating brain areas and neural pathways.
Memory
Music is charged emotionally and elicits a unique feeling according to the associations each of us make with a piece of music. For those with dementia and Alzheimer’s music is one of the last memory centers of the brain to deteriorate. Music is anchoring one’s memories so deeply that when music comes its not just the song that’s remembered but it’s also one’s associated memories. Reminiscence and discussion within music therapy sessions become meaningful as it allows for validation, acknowledgement, and support.
Socialization
The therapist can engage in socialization through music which can be extremely useful for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s as they may not be able to communicate another way. Within group sessions, the music can also assist with communication of meaningful themes and memories to promote peer connection and engagement.
Positive Affect
Scientific research shows that music stimulates the pleasure, reward, motivator centres of our brain. Qualified therapists use this data to focus on decreasing aggression, agitation, stress, sadness, and anxiety as well as providing temporary relief from pain and discomfort, in turn impacting quality of life for seniors.
Hospice & Palliative Care
Validation
Palliative individuals can also do legacy work where they create short biography or life review by forming a compilation of songs or other artists piece that are associated with milestones in their life. Through the creation of a legacy the person is able to reflect on one’s accomplishments, understand life experiences, and make amends for past events. This process gives life meaning and the person is able to develop a greater sense of insight and spirituality as they reach the end of their life.
Support
The therapist can instruct palliative individuals to choose a song that best describes what they are experiencing and feeling. Pre-composed and composed songs can serve as a coping mechanism as it validates and supports their unique life experiences.
Relaxation
Breath control has health benefits as it promotes relaxation and decreases tension, anxiety, and pain. A music therapist can model deep, relaxed breathing, and use breathing exercises to entrain the individual’s actions to reach a state of balance.