As the medical field employs an increasingly holistic framework, services like music therapy seem like a natural fit for addressing the emotional elements we are learning to value more in patient care. However, it is so much more than simply playing music to lift a patient’s spirits (as a music lover, I personally think even that much would be significant!). Music therapy is a credentialed, evidence-based modality with multiple implications for health optimization. To learn more about how we can integrate music therapy into our respective practices, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Geare, MT-BC, who works clinically at Oasis Behavioral Health Hospital, and serves as director of Cottontail Kids Music.
What sort of work do you do as a music therapist?
I work primarily in mental health. A typical day consists of three to four groups of 12-20 patients per group in an acute or residential setting. I work with pediatric patients aged 11-18, and adults of all ages. I facilitate 45-minute sessions of music therapy with them, which can look like meditation with tone chimes, lyric analysis, drum circles, lyric poetry (taking lyrics from various songs and putting them together into a new poem), meditation, song-writing, movement/dance, or incorporating lyrics into art.
Please describe the benefits of music therapy.
These pertain to mental health specifically, but these are the benefits I see when working with patients in my clinical setting:
- Mood elevation
- Creative expression
- Stress reduction/management
- Emotional release
- Relaxation
- Endorphin release
- Socialization
- Cognitive improvement
- Creating new coping skills
- Increased self-awareness
What types of patients does one work with?
Patients arrive at our hospital primarily for suicidal ideation or attempts, but also often have comorbid diagnoses of substance abuse, anxiety, PTSD, and mood disorders.
Do you work as an independent contractor, or directly for the hospital?
I am employed directly by a clinical site.
How did you decide to be a music therapist? What does the training/certification entail?
I volunteered playing harp for retirement homes when I was younger, and I could see how their moods were improved and their pain medication was lessened. I knew I wanted to go into music therapy from that time on. In Arizona, music therapy is a bachelor’s degree, followed by a 6-month internship. It is 1/3 medical science, 1/3 psychology, and 1/3 music, and includes 1200 hours of clinical training. You must be proficient in 5 instruments by the end of your studies, mine being violin, harp, piano, guitar, and ukulele.
When should a physician consider a music therapy consult, and how would they do that? Is the process dictated by insurance reimbursement to any extent?
I work within the activity therapy department, which can hire recreation, art, dance, or music therapists. We are not involved with insurance reimbursement and are treated as hourly employees. A physician in this setting will write specialized treatment plans for patients who require extra assistance, and who have conveyed that music is an important coping skill for them to handle their current issues. When I provide one-on-one treatment, it is often in the form of instrument lessons or songwriting. I wish I could work with everyone one-on-one!
Jessica Pirkle is a member of the Class of 2022 at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. She completed a BA in Spanish at ASU and worked for several years as a school teacher before switching gears and obtaining an MS in Health Care, also at ASU. When not studying the marvels of medicine, she enjoys making and eating delicious healthy food with her four children, and daydreaming about being a music festival groupie.