Want to know what a music therapist gets up to on a regular day? Here’s a day in the life from our founder and music therapist – Amelia Clapham.
Music therapy is a psychological therapy which uses music to work towards various therapeutic aims. The aims are non-musical and sessions are always client led. Music Therapists are allied health professionals who work with people of all ages and abilities. I enjoy working in the community, so I spend my working days visiting children and young adults within their own homes and also in community settings such as schools and hospices as well as hospitals.
My first client of the day is a young girl with Autism. I visit her in pre-school for her weekly music therapy session. Her sessions are focused around helping her to manage and regulate her emotions as well as developing her communication skills. This particular girl is very creative and today she was very imaginative creating games for us to play together.
My next client is in another nursery, this time a girl with Rett’s Syndrome. Rett’s is a life limiting condition and this girl is non verbal. Sessions are centred around developing her communication skills through turn taking musical interactions and also allowing her an opportunity to be in control. Lunchtime and time to write my notes and call parents to give them an update on the sessions.
My fourth client of the day is in a primary school. He has Leukaemia and his sessions focus around his emotions and providing him with a safe space to express his emotions. After this I head home to write up my notes and grab a quick cup of tea before a team meeting where we discuss our next training session.
After this my final session of the day – this time an assessment. During assessments we assess the client’s needs and whether they might benefit from music therapy and find out all the background behind the referral. We observe the client playing/in their natural environment before attempting to engage them in a music therapy session. We then write the assessment up in a report with our clinical recommendations for the music therapy going forward.
