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Music Therapy can address a wide range of social and emotional needs for children and young people of all ages. Some of these include:

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• Communication difficulties

• Limited mobility

• Limited capacity for self-expression

• Limited or inhibited play

• Difficult behaviours such as throwing or hitting

• Poor concentration

• Low confidence and self-esteem

• Emotional and mental health needs for, example anger, distress, anxiety, low mood

• Relationship difficulties

• Trauma

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​​Individual therapy​​

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Pre-school Children

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For pre-school children, ideally I work with a parent or carer in the room as well. 

This is because the child's relationship with their main care-giver is central to their development at this stage of their life. It also enables the parent(s) or carer(s) to share the experience, which can help the benefits to generalise into everyday life outside the sessions.

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We make sounds together and find fun and motivating ways of communicating and sharing experiences using singing and playing.

 

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Older Children

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Individual sessions are child-led. The child is free to use percussion instruments as they choose. I use music, sounds and words to respond to accompany, and support the sounds the child creates, and this is how we build a trusting relationship in which the child's experience is acknowledged and reflected back to them in a warm, non-judgemental, supportive way. There are clear boundaries around safety, but otherwise the child can use the instruments and sessions as they wish.

 

For some children, it may be appropriate and helpful for them to have access to paper and pencils for writing or drawing and/or finger puppets for which they can engage in imaginative play.

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I understand that some children who have certain medical conditions or who need physical support may need an assistant with them in the sessions. 

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Teens

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I offer teens the same client-led approach. Depending on their musical tastes, they may choose to sing, play percussion or other instruments. We may also explore music listening, song-writing or recording music, both live and electronic, using computer software. It depends on what is helpful and comfortable for each client.

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Group Therapy

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Group music therapy can be helpful for people who have needs which are best addressed by ​working with their peers. This may include:

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• Shyness 

• Difficulty forming and maintaining friendships 

• Difficulty listening to others  

• Isolation

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Group therapy can help children to explore their process and style of relating to others in greater depth than is possible than in other situations. Group therapy also provides opportunities for shared experiences and simply listening to and enjoying the company of others in safe, consistent, supportive environment.

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Depending on the age and needs of the people in the group, I offer a mixture of structured activities and/or songs with opportunities for free play together as a group. This balances safety and familiarity with freedom of expression and discovering new ways of playing and relating to others.

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Group members are assessed individually in the first instance, and a group is put together with careful thought about the combination of needs and personalities and how these might work together to help everyone in the group.​

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Some of the benefits of group music therapy might be:

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• Becoming more confident communicating with others

• Clients feeling less isolated with their problems

• Feeling more able to ask for help or support

• Greater depth of connection with other people

• Being more able to give space to and listen to others and learn from their ideas and experiences

• Greater awareness of self in relation to others

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Music Therapy for Families

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 Music therapy can help where there are difficulties with communication, conflict or repetitive patterns of relating that feel negative or unhelpful. It may also be an effective way to help strengthen and deepen (existing and new) positive ways of relating to each other.

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Family therapy may also be helpful for families where one or more family member has an illness or disability, as this can offer a different way of being together and relating to each other that does not rely on words.​

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For adopted or fostered children, particularly where family members are in the early stages of forming their relationships together, using music and sounds can offer ways of relating with and without words that might feel easier than only talking. This may be particularly helpful where there is a history of trauma and/or difficult relationships. Using music and sounds can offer a safe outlet for difficult and positive emotions and direct support in an accessible and immediate way.

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Family music therapy is delivered in a similar way to group therapy and is tailored to the individual needs of each family.

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Some of the benefits of music therapy for families might be:

 

• New ways of communicating and having fun together which supports and helps develop your relationships

• Improved emotional well-being

• Reduction in conflict

• Improved empathy and understanding of each other