Music Therapy Services of Pittsburgh

Music Journey at 2020 Disability & Mental Health Summit

2/29/2020

Music Journey will be represented by our staff at the 2020 Disability & Mental Health Summit on March 3, 2020, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center here in Pittsburgh. The summit is hosted by Pennsylvania Representative Dan Miller, and this year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act. The event has many information sessions on topics of interest to families, professionals, and community members. There will be representatives from local county and state agencies, service providers, as well as advocacy and support groups. We at Music Journey are excited to be exhibiting as one of many local organizations. Please stop by our table in the exhibit hall to ask questions or say hello.

Kind Regards,
Aaron

Seeking Therapy

2/19/2020

Hello, Like many of you, I've listened to many podcasts, and I want to take inspiration from two different podcasts as a way to speak about seeking therapy for yourself. I highly recommend Therapy for Black Girls podcast as well as the Health Kit podcast from National Public Radio, links below. These podcasts have had excellent episodes focused on seeking therapy and what to expect from therapy. I hope my thoughts on this topic can aid you in gathering the energy and courage to seek out your own therapy.

Yes, your sense of struggle is real, and your internal or mental health is essential to you. I suggest your mental health is as important as your physical health, as you are a whole person. Here are some ideas on how you may go about seeking therapy to ease the struggle and distress that you may feel.

Something might be holding you back from seeking help.
Speaking as a person who has sought and received therapy, I know how it feels to search for a therapist and go to therapy. In the past, I've felt my own emotional sensitivity has held me back from making the call for help. Yet, now I realize, those were only moments of anxiety or discomfort. I have been able to take note of my thoughts and emotions and then seek out the help that I needed. I've experienced that, after therapy sessions begin, things start to change as the seeds of strength and hope are nurtured inside of one's self. I personally recommend acknowledging any emotional hesitation, then seeking and engaging in therapy to help yourself.

Find a therapist and therapy that is right for you.
I believe that it is our responsibility to seek help and contact a therapist. Specifically, I want to offer a few questions to use when making that initial contact with a therapist. That's right, you can ask questions to determine if the person is right for you.

First, as a person living and working in the US if you have health insurance, the health insurance organization that provides your coverage is a useful resource for finding a therapist. Many health insurance plans have web-pages listing therapists that are approved by the health insurance organization.

If you have no insurance or are minimally insured, you will have a few more steps to find help. For some people, their health care may involve some form of case-management or care manager. If this is your situation, the person serving as your case manager can be a resource in helping find a therapist. Also, some people find great relief when a friend or family member suggests the name of a trusted therapist. Asking other people for recommendations could help you. Lastly, the internet or web is the place were many therapists promote their services with web-pages and other listings. Just as you found this blog, you can find therapists who are willing to help.

Next, ask the therapist you find questions. You may first want to speak about your specific concerns or experiences and then ask the therapist, "Have you helped people with similar problems?" You can ask the therapist, "What do you do in therapy?" and "What is expected of the client in therapy with you?"
You may want to ask about the therapist's training and professional qualifications. You can ask any other questions that you believe will help you determine if this person can help you.

Finally, take a moment to consider your discussion with the therapist. After this consideration, make your choice to work with this person or continue your search for another therapist.

If things don't work, you can continue your search.
You do not have to stick with a therapist or a therapy form that does not work for you. I imagine that after your preliminary work, you will find a therapist, and you may even meet them several times. You may also decide that the fit with this therapist is not right for you.

I encourage you to speak with your therapist about any difficulties or hesitations you have about your therapy. While I agree that you have the personal responsibility to find the therapist that is right for you. I know, you can end that relationship, request a referral, or seek out another therapist on your own. Therapists are trained to understand and negotiate relationship endings, and they can handle your choices to seek a new therapist.

Talking about therapy can aid in decreasing the stigma regarding mental health problems.
When you are thinking about therapy and searching for a therapist, you can talk about your particular search. This piece is another significant personal step that can be taken. I suggest that there is a bit of relief and release that can be received by allowing ourselves to open up and speak about our life to those people close to us. I've found that by discussing therapy and personal benefits from my therapy, I grow closer to people by sharing my experiences. Such honest discussions about your particular therapy could possibly aid one of your friends or loved ones and likely enhance your relationships.

"Is music therapy the therapy for me?"
It could be, and I believe that the music therapy model named The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music can be helpful for many people. The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music is typically abbreviated as GIM. Check out our previous post for more on GIM. Here is a little more information for you to consider as you determine if therapy or GIM is right for you.

First, GIM may be helpful when you are seeking therapy the first time. GIM may be beneficial for a person who has experienced treatment in the past and now wants something different in the therapy experience. Next, GIM is known to help people overcome experiences of anxiety, depression, and grief. GIM has helped people improve relationships both the internal relationship within themselves and the relationships shared with other people. Third, I suggest that GIM can offer a way to creatively help yourself with your current concerns. In GIM, like other music therapy, a person engages in music experiences and activities with the collaboration of the music therapist. Through these musical relationships, the person can create help that is both unique and personalized to their way of thinking, feeling, and acting in the world. Fourth, within music therapy in general, and in GIM specifically, there are ways that you and your therapist can adapt or tailor music experiences to support you in your movement toward health. For example, more broadly, many music and imagery techniques from GIM can be used to match a person's level of need. A person may want to try a few sessions to focus on a single difficulty, or a person may wish to engage in a more lengthy period of therapy.

As I promised, here are links to the podcasts that I was influenced by while writing this post. I hope you'll check them out.

Therapy for Black Girls
https://therapyforblackgirls.com/

How To Start Therapy: Life Kit : NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/787058888/how-to-start-therapy

To end this post, I want to encourage you to take these ideas and use them for yourself. That is, I hope you can use these words as a stepping off point in your personal development and road to improved health.

Kind Regards,
Aaron

Music Journey at 2020 Disability & Mental Health Summit

Seeking Therapy

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