Music therapy workshop brings students together

On March 22, Abby Wirth and Lindsay Bernstein, Psychology majors in PSYCH 402, hosted a Music Therapy Workshop in Miller Hall. It opened with a poll in which they asked who has heard of Music Therapy. Only half of the students attending had.

Music Therapy, according to Wirth and Bernstein’s slideshow, is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” Music therapy serves populations such as those in need of physical rehabilitation, those seeking motivation, those in need of emotional support, and those having trouble communicating feelings or words.

As students in the PSYCH 402 class, Internship Experiences, Wirth and Bernstein are program assistants for the Counseling Center. “It was our job to… create two presentations. One on Perfectionism and one on Music Therapy,” says Bernstein. “Then we’re responsible for presenting them to the JMU general body.” The week prior, they presented their Perfectionism workshop. Other groups in the class have topics ranging from Imposter Syndrome to Being a Transfer Student.

The Music Therapy workshop was a Passport event attended by students who sat at desks in a small classroom. “It’s a nice, intimate setting,” said Bernstein. “We’re able to talk to the students and see what they want to learn from us.” They included interactive elements like a music bingo game and a “draw what the music makes you think of” activity.

The goal of the workshop was “also to help them learn more about some of the mental health resources here on campus,” said Bernstein. She and Wirth shared Music Therapy resources, including the School of Music’s concerts, music practice rooms and the Underground Sound Concert Series. Students can learn more about the workshops the PSYCH 402 class offers on the JMU Counseling Center Instagram at @jmucc_canines. Finally, students are encouraged to learn more about the Counseling Center and all of the great resources it provides campus with at Counseling Center.