Music Therapy with Kids and Teens (10 credits)

Presented by Sally Bonkrude MA, LPC, MT-BC

Kids and teens don’t always respond to traditional ways of talking about what they’re experiencing, but music can give them another way in.

Music can create opportunities for young clients to express themselves, communicate, explore relationships, build coping skills, and work through difficult experiences in ways that feel more accessible and engaging.

In this practical, intervention-packed course, you’ll explore creative ways to use drumming, songwriting, and other music therapy experiences to support positive change with children and adolescents.

You’ll begin by discovering how drumming experiences can provide insight into family dynamics and create opportunities to explore communication and relationships. You’ll also learn ways to use music to strengthen communication skills and explore songwriting approaches that encourage self-expression, identity, and empowerment.

Throughout the course, you’ll build your music therapy toolbox with interventions and ideas for supporting young clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, transitions, and grief.

This is a hands-on course designed to get you thinking, creating, and expanding what you can bring into your sessions. You’ll leave with fresh intervention ideas and new ways to use music to connect with kids and teens when words alone may not be enough.

In this workshop, you will learn:

How to use drumming experiences to explore communication, relationships, and family dynamics.
Music-based approaches for helping children and teens develop stronger communication skills.
Creative songwriting techniques that encourage self-expression, identity exploration, and empowerment.
Music therapy intervention ideas for working with anxiety and depression.
Ways to use music when supporting young clients affected by trauma, abuse, transitions, and grief.
How to adapt musical experiences to encourage engagement and expression when verbal approaches may be difficult.
Practical interventions you can add to your music therapy toolbox and adapt for the individual needs of children and adolescents.

Come away with more ways to connect, more ways to invite expression, and more options for using music to support meaningful change with kids and teens.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to state at least 1 way drumming can change unhealthy patterns.

2. Participants will be able to name 6 types of songwriting to help kids and teens express, be empowered and stay motivated.

3. Participants will be able to describe at least 1 way music releases inner pain brought on by abuse, trauma, transitions or grief.

4. Participants will be able to describe at least 2 ways musical interventions help kid or teens work through depression and anxiety.

Here’s What People are Saying:

” I absolutely liked the variety of activities presented for various ages from young children to older teens. I also really liked the songwriting section, especially learning the different chord progressions. Like most MT’s, I had been stuck in a rut of my patterns used for improvisation.” Jennifer M.

” Sally was a great teacher, and I enjoyed learning new ways to use my music. I also learned how to implement play therapy in my work, as a lot of my children are drawn to puppets, sand play, and dollhouse play.” Susanne K.V.

” Everything was positive about the course. I learned so much and as always it’s great to be able to brain storm/troubleshoot with Sally and the other music therapists about difficulties we might be having in our practices.” Edele Rose K.

Schedule

30 minutes- Welcome and Introductions

30 minutes- Explore ways to understand family dynamics and change unhealthy patterns through drumming

1 hour – Changing unhealthy patterns through drumming.

1 hour:- Practice and teach communication skills, listening, supporting, being heard and expressing feelings through drumming

1 hour- Explore six types of songwriting to help kids and teens express, be empowered and stay motivated.

1 hour- self-study homework assignment

1 hour- Learn ways to use music express and release inner pain brought on by abuse, trauma, transitions or grief.

30 minutes- Ways to soothe…..

…humming, singing ah, tuning forks, the ocean drum

30 minutes – Come up with a new idea or your favorite ideas from the webinar that you plan on using with you clients.

one hour- Learn ways to work through depression and anxiety with musical interventions

one hour -Time for questions, trouble shooting musical interventions for clients, brainstorming, plus sharing what you came up with on break.

CBMT Domain Areas:

III.A.3 Treatment modification within and across sessions based on the client's response and growth (e.g., alternate applications of music, appropriate music selection, adaptation of the physical/virtual session space);

III.A.6 Theoretical frameworks for music therapy treatment implementation (e.g., educational, developmental, neurological, psychological); III.A.11 Effects of music elements and music experience (e.g., psychological, emotional, physical); Task Statement 36 Engage the client in individualized music therapy experiences to address the client's established goals and objectives within multiple domains of health and well-being (e.g., psychosocial, physiological, spiritual, musical)

Music Therapy with Kids and Teens is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 CMTEs-Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. The Spiegel Academy, CBMT Approved Provider #P-106, maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.

Class Description