Blog

December 27, 2025

     December has many holidays to celebrate - Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day,  New Years Eve, etc.  There is
time set aside for family to gather together and celebrate with each other in their own unique ways.  When I was a young professional, holiday music was incorporated in many different ways  and I always found it refreshing to use holiday music for a month (or more!) to change up the sessions and provide different styles of music.  This music may be upbeat, fun and include lyrics highlighting Suzy Snowflake or Frosty the Snowman or on the opposite side, more reverent music to focus on the religious aspects and may include songs such as "O Holy Night" or "Silent Night."  

     All of this music can not only affect our clients, but ourselves as well.  How, as therapists, do we handle our own personal feelings of these holidays if they do not match the feelings of our clients?  Personally, the Christmas season is a difficult time for me.  Although I cannot pinpoint a specific reason or the "why", I find myself feeling sadness during this season.  When planning and implementing sessions, I need to be carefully aware of my mood and feelings and how those can show up in the session whether consciously or not.  Our facial expressions and body language are an outer example of our inner thoughts and feelings.  

November 26, 2025

     Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!  As tradition goes, Thanksgiving is often a time for us to revisit and reflect on what we are thankful for.  However, I want to look at the idea of thankfulness from my interpretation of a different point of view - the clients that we serve.   A client who comes to music therapy.....

• knowing it is a safe place 

• to be with others who may have similar experiences and musically share themselves

• can experience first hand what music therapy is and how it is used as a tool for learning and growth

• is able to express themselves in a different and unique manner

• has family members and caregivers who comment on positive changes 

• knowing they are the most important person in their space and their needs will be met

• deserves the best experience possible with a highly trained professional

• has a brain and body that is actively changing in response to music and musical stimuli

October 19, 2025

     As I sit here on a Sunday evening after a beautiful sunny day in South Carolina (can't beat 71 degrees in mid-October!), I think about what the Autumn season means to me.  From living in the Midwest for the majority of my life;, I always loved the change of seasons, but especially the fall.  16 years ago when we made the move, I wondered if the seasons would be similar in South Carolina.  As luck would have it, we still have the 4 seasons, but overall, the weather is warmer and we don't have snow/ice for 6 months of the year!  When I think about fall, it's not only about a change in the weather, but also a change in perspective and the promise of leaving things behind in order to begin again.   I feel the same way about my career in music therapy and staring this new endeavor of Lumina Music Therapy.   Although I'm not leaving music therapy,  I am moving in a different direction from clinical work, 17 months of unofficial retirement:) in order to challenge myself in a new way and  help those who are currently practicing, supervising or teaching.  I am sincerely excited about this new adventure and am looking forward to more learning, more connections and above all, more of using my knowledge and experience to help others navigate their own journeys.