Can I Benefit From Music Therapy if I Don’t Have a Diagnosis?
Yes! You absolutely can benefit from Music Therapy without a diagnosis! We have shared in length how we support individuals with a wide array of diagnoses; this, however, does not mean you need a diagnosis to participate in music therapy. Getting a diagnosis can be time consuming, costly, and daunting. Many individuals go their entire lives without officially being diagnosed in anyway. Additionally, many typically developing individuals still have needs in sensory integration, sound sensitivity, speech production, mental health/maintenance, and many other areas that can be addressed through music therapy.
There is nothing wrong with seeking treatment even if you are not formally diagnosed with a disability; when we say music therapy is inclusive, that includes everyone! You can find music therapists practicing just about everywhere. Some of these locations can be schools, nursing homes, mental health facilities, hospitals, and private practice to name a few. Musical Bridges is a private practice that primarily works with individuals with diagnoses such as autism, Down syndrome, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities. Additionally, we see individuals who don’t have any type of diagnosis!
What is addressed in Music Therapy?
Goals we work on with our clients at Musical Bridges are universal needs for all individuals. Motor function, academics, communication, speech, emotional regulation, socialization, life skills. All of these and more are foundational pieces to daily life that can be aided with the help of a music therapist. As music activates so many different parts of the brain, it can be utilized to target multiple areas of development simultaneously and increase retention of skills. Music has been used to learn new concepts, help remember things, and used as a mood stabilizer. So much can be accomplished through the use of music. These are essential skills for all individuals, and music therapy is a great way to address them!
Sensory and Emotional Regulation
A common goal we work on with individuals who do not have a diagnosis is emotional regulation. Emotions are big and not always under our control, so it’s hard for everyone to learn how to navigate them. Music therapy is a safe, judgement-free environment in which to discuss these big feelings and how we can handle them. When we’re frustrated, we can play drums and talk about healthy ways to manage anger or aggression. When we’re sad, we can listen to calming music and talk about how to regulate our breathing to the song’s tempo. When we’re scared, we can think of and sing songs that remind us of safe places and people. We use music to not only regulate emotions but to teach a variety of coping skills that work for anyone!
We not only can address emotional regulation but sensory regulation as well. Your senses are a huge part of your everyday life, even in sleep. Learning how to process sensory needs is something that is fantastic to work on in music therapy. We have a variety of instruments to work on tactile input, drums and more for proprioceptive input, and of course auditory input. Sensory processing difficulties can take many forms, so can working on them in music therapy. We can adapt instruments and interventions to a wide range of needs in order to target an individual’s specific requirements.
Motor Skills
Many people have motor difficulties, often not diagnosable in any way. This can happen to any individual at any stage of life. Music therapy can aid in this by creating inventive ways to play instruments that require cross-body movement, maintained balance, and spatial awareness. We can address personal space and graded control when interacting with others. Movement to music has of course been around for such a long time, however, we can utilize Neurologic Music Therapy techniques such as Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP®) to address motor goals within sessions to address a wide variety of fine and gross motor needs.
Cognitive Functions
Following directions can be a challenge for anyone. Listening to others isn’t necessarily something we like to do. This might be due to who the direction is coming from or even from having a longer processing length for understanding information. In music therapy we can help individuals learn how to process those directions along with completing the steps asked of them. Following multi-step directions can be even trickier, having to remember what the steps are and how to do them. Music is a fun aspect that is added to a therapeutic setting making work seem more like fun. Using NMT provides several techniques to make following directions easier from the processing to active participation in the directions.
We address executive functioning in a multitude of ways. Using Musical Executive Function Training (MEFT®) we can work on decision making, task initiation, task termination, planning, organization, time management, defining and achieving goals, observation skills, independent thinking, sequencing, impulse control, cognitive flexibility, and more. There are many of these skills that can be a challenge for neurotypical individuals. We can work on these areas within the music therapy setting through active music making, receptive music interventions, movement to music, music games and so much more.
Social - Emotional Skills
Mental health is a daunting conversation to have. It can be extremely difficult to have these conversations with an individual that is showing signs of anxiety, depression, grief, or post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a fine line to walk between having candid conversations and making sure that an individual’s needs are being addressed appropriately within the therapeutic setting. Music therapy can be a great way to navigate these conversations and work toward finding coping strategies that work best for them, having a safe place to discuss their mental health, and feeling heard.
General socialization and social skills can occur in group music therapy! Music is a fantastic way to connect to others whether through sharing favorite songs, active music making, or discussion about music. Music therapist’s can facilitate a positive social environment for any age. We can address social skills, including difficulty with reciprocal conversation, understanding social cues, active listening, patience, conflict resolution, even turn-taking within communication.
Sibling Sessions
Another area that is not often touched on is that of siblings of children with a diagnosis. Sometimes kids are so little that they do not fully understand why their sibling plays or communicates differently than they do. In situations like this, music therapy can be utilized to foster an environment where the siblings are able to interact and play with each other without these barriers. We work with several sibling groups on exactly this, and it is beautiful to see these moments that transcend diagnoses. Siblings can benefit from individual sessions as well where they are the primary focus. This can often be an unintentional outcome to having a sibling with special needs where a neurotypical child feels left out or has similar feelings. Music therapy can be a great place for self-expression and personal growth.
If you are seeking support for your loved one in any capacity and feel curious about music therapy, you are always welcome at Musical Bridges. We believe in supporting the growth and development of every person. Give us a call today to discuss what we can do for your family!