Farewell

With my internship at Therabeat finally coming to a close, I have been reflecting on all  the experiences and memories I've made along this journey. My time at Therabeat has taught me so much, from improving my therapeutic techniques and growing my musical skills to what kind of music therapist I want to be. It is hard to believe that the 6 months have now ended.

I have had the amazing opportunity to work with so many different populations, ages, and backgrounds. Through every interaction with clients and families, I've observed the profound impact that music can have. Each session has come with its learning opportunities, and it is hard to put into words how much I have grown over the past 6 months. I have learned how to be flexible when sessions do not always go according to plan. I have learned how to be prepared and open-minded when it comes to communicating and facilitating a plan of care. I have learned how to collaborate with a wide variety of other disciplines and how to provide effective collaborative intervention. Overall, I have learned how to trust in the skills that I already have and to continue to grow in new ones.

I am so beyond thankful for the clinical training I have received. Learning from a variety of supervisors has provided me with a range of experiences that I believe will carry me far in my clinical practice. Over the past 6 months, I have felt a shift in my mindset from being a student music therapist to becoming an emerging professional, and I am so excited to continue to see how I continue to grow from here. The interactions I’ve had with  both clients and supervisors have been the best part, and I will miss seeing everyone around the clinic!

-Rebecca Smith, Music Therapy Intern

A Bittersweet Goodbye

It’s hard to believe that my six-month internship at Therabeat has come to an end. The time has flown by, and as I sit down to reflect, I’m filled with a mix of gratitude, excitement, and sadness. This chapter has meant so much to me, both personally and professionally.

Over the past few months, I’ve grown in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first stepped through the doors of Therabeat. I have learned how to adapt in the moment, whether that means improvising while reading a book with a client or adjusting an entire session plan based on what the client needs that day. I’ve gained confidence in leading individual sessions from start to finish, developed skills in managing a variety of behaviors, and collaborated with other disciplines to ensure we were always working in the best interest of each client.

Throughout my internship, I also had the opportunity to build a diverse library of resources including visuals, interventions, and communication tools. I’m incredibly thankful to have these resources, knowing how useful those materials will be in future settings. (I definitely became well acquainted with the laminator!) I also learned how to effectively communicate with families about progress in music therapy. I came to understand how meaningful and supportive those conversations can be in a client’s journey. One of the most rewarding parts of that process has been seeing clients light up when they share their session experiences with their families. Whether it’s a new skill they’ve learned or a song they love, watching their pride and excitement grow has been incredibly special.

But as valuable as those experiences have been, what I’ll miss most are the people. Each one has left a mark on me in their own way. Building those therapeutic relationships has been the heart of this experience, and saying goodbye is truly bittersweet. Thank you to everyone at Therabeat for your incredible support throughout this internship chapter. I truly couldn’t have done it without you!

-Asila Folds, Music Therapy Intern

Self Care and Mental Health for Music Therapy Interns and Students

Music therapy students, like those in other health or music-related fields, are especially vulnerable to mental health challenges due to demanding coursework, performance pressure, and clinical responsibilities. The transition to college often coincides with emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 25), a critical period marked by ongoing brain development, increasing independence, and emotional growth. This stage of life is also when many mental health conditions first appear, with about 63% of individuals experiencing onset before age 25 (Gooding et al., 2024).

Even without a formal diagnosis, emotional distress is common among college students. One survey found high rates of anxiety, exhaustion, loneliness, and feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities (ACHA, 2018). Music therapy majors may also experience additional stress from student debt, practicum requirements, and uncertainty about their future. For students with invisible disabilities such as mental health conditions, these challenges can be even more difficult, potentially affecting both academic progress and personal well-being.

Self-care is essential not just for surviving college but for sustaining long-term success and well-being as a music therapist. Without intentional self-care, students risk burnout, compassion fatigue, and long-term disengagement from their work. Here are key self-care strategies drawn from current research and student experiences:

General Self-Care Tips:

• View self-care as an act of self-preservation, a way to recharge after putting energy into academics, clinical work, and helping others.

• Remember that how you care for yourself now can influence how effectively you care for clients in the future.

• Build habits that support your emotional, physical, spiritual, and social health early in your training.

Emotional & Social Self-Care:

• Nurture relationships that exist both within and outside of your academic or clinical environment to maintain a strong, balanced support system.

• Lean on your support system to stay emotionally grounded and reduce feelings of isolation.

• Set emotional boundaries so you don’t become overextended in school or clinical responsibilities.

Physical & Nutritional Self-Care:

• Regularly move your body to manage stress and maintain energy levels.

• Eat balanced meals and try to keep a steady sleep routine.

• Pay attention to your body’s signals. Rest when you’re tired, stay hydrated, and avoid pushing yourself past your limits.

Time & Occupational Self-Care:

• Make time for activities that are not related to school or music therapy, such as hobbies or rest.

• Create a manageable schedule that includes breaks from music-related tasks.

• Set realistic expectations for yourself and feel comfortable saying “no” to avoid burnout.

Music Based Self-Care:

• Keep a personal connection with music that is not tied to school or clinical goals.

• Revisit the music that originally sparked your love for the field.

• If music starts to feel exhausting, explore other self-care practices such as silence, journaling, time in nature, or other creative outlets.

• Find ways to use music for your own growth and comfort, not just for therapeutic work with clients.

-Asila Folds, Music Therapy Intern

Resources:

Boeser, A., & Silverman, M. J. (2024). Development and implementation of self-care strategies in undergraduate music therapy students: A qualitative thematic analysis. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 33(4), 344–360.

Gooding, L. F., & Ferrer, A. J. (2024). Supporting music therapy majors with mental health conditions. Music Therapy Perspectives, 43(1).

Fiore, J. (2020, August). Self-care toolbox for music therapy students [Podcast]. AMTA-Pro. American Music Therapy Association.

American College Health Association. (2018). American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring 2018. Silver Spring, MD: Author.

Music Therapy for Anxiety and Depression

According to researcher Doublet (1998), stress is related to complaints in about two-thirds of medical consultations in the United States. When left untreated, chronic stress can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. These disorders, as defined in the DSM-5, involve significant disruptions in thinking, emotional regulation, or behavior that interfere with daily functioning.

Anxiety and depression share a common thread: persistent emotional distress. This may include feelings of  sadness, emptiness, irritability, or excessive worry. These feelings are often accompanied by physical and cognitive symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, low motivation, muscle tension, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms can make it hard to participate fully in everyday life.

Music therapy has been shown to help reduce many of these symptoms. Engaging with music stimulates the brain’s emotional and reward systems, increasing levels of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These chemicals play a role in improving mood, reducing stress, relieving pain, and fostering social connection.

How music therapy helps individuals with anxiety and depression:

• Regulates the stress response: Active music-making (ex: drumming, singing, playing instruments) can reduce stress hormones like adrenaline, easing restlessness and tension.

• Promotes emotional grounding: Rhythmic engagement provides a sense of stability and helps clients release emotions in a safe and structured way.

• Improves sleep and relaxation: Slow tempo, steady rhythm music,  combined with guided breathing or meditation, can help the body shift into a relaxed state.

• Boosts energy and motivation: Music that involves movement and creativity activates brain regions tied to energy, appetite, and motivation.

• Encourages social connection: Group sessions using improvisation or songwriting support emotional expression and reduce isolation.

• Rebuilds self-worth and trust: Collaborative music-making fosters connection and gives space for shared emotional experiences.

• Supports body awareness: Techniques like body percussion can help individuals reconnect with their bodies through rhythm and resonance.

Music therapy offers a holistic and flexible approach to treating anxiety and depression. It addresses emotional, cognitive, physical, and social symptoms, offering not just symptom relief, but also support for long-term healing and emotional growth.

-Asila Folds, Music Therapy Intern

References:

dos Santos, E. A., Sanchez, E. M., Ortiz, M. Á. N., & Germes, M. A. O. (2019). Effects of music therapy in depression and anxiety disorder. TMR Journals.

Aalbers, S., Fusar-Poli, L., Freeman, R. E., Spreen, M., Ket, J. C. F., Vink, A. C., Maratos, A., Crawford, M., Chen, X.-J., & Gold, C. (2017). Music therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Flores Gutierrez , E. O., & Camarena , V. (2015). Music therapy in generalized anxiety disorder. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 44, 19–24.  

Music Therapy for Children Who Are Hard of Hearing or Experience Hearing Loss

Because music is predominantly an auditory stimulus, it is often assumed that music listening and music therapy would not be appropriate for children who are hard of hearing or have experienced hearing loss. Research throughout the decades has concluded that music perception and appreciation influence other factors and make music therapy appropriate for improving language development, speech production, socialization, and the development of musicality.

Therapists must consider various types of hearing loss when planning music therapy sessions for clients with hearing impairments. Conductive hearing loss occurs due to disease, malformation, or obstruction in the outer or middle ear, and devices such as hearing aids are often helpful. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs due to damage or absence of the hair cells in the inner ear. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are used to assist with hearing. The thing to know about sensorineural hearing loss is that the more extensive the damage is the less effective hearing aid devices are. The final type of hearing loss is central hearing loss, which occurs due to damage to the central nervous system.

The age of onset of hearing loss often results in a wide variety of needs associated with hearing loss. The primary need of children who experience hearing loss is the development of spoken and written forms of language. An article on music therapy for children who are deaf or hard of hearing states that “children with severe hearing losses may have speech with improper pitch level, omitted or improperly formed speech, and less intelligible speech.” 

This results in music therapists targeting four main goal areas when treating individuals with hearing loss. These goals are language development, speech production, auditory training, and social skills attainment. Music therapy for language development uses interventions to increase the appropriate use of vocabulary, increase spontaneous communication, and increase sentence structure. Lyrics of songs should be selected to introduce and practice target vocabulary. This includes songs filled with vocabulary such as numbers, colors, and animals. Interventions such as writing songs or pairing sign language with music allow clients to generate new ideas through expressive language. Music therapy for speech production uses interventions to increase vocalization, increase production of natural speech rhythms, and increase the production of common speech sounds. Therapeutic singing allows for the controlled production of speech sounds in a predictable and controlled tempo. Lastly, music therapy interventions are used to increase social skills for children by providing structured opportunities for taking turns, paying attention, following directions, sharing, and expressing feelings appropriately.

Overall, music therapy is an adaptable approach that can support individuals with hearing loss and those who are hard of hearing. Music therapy can aid in the impact that hearing loss can have on a child’s life through targeting that enhances language and speech development.

-Rebecca Smith, Music Therapy Intern

References:

Edwards, J. (Ed.). (2017). The Oxford handbook of music therapy (First published in paperback). Oxford University Press.

Gfeller, K. (2024). Music as Communication and Training for Children with Cochlear Implants. In N. M. Young & K. Iler Kirk (Eds.), Pediatric Cochlear Implantation (pp. 443–458). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67188-3_27