Hayley: An average week involves seeing a wide variety of clients across many different ages, needs, and backgrounds.  My oldest clients are over one hundred years of age, while my youngest client is just two.  A day of sessions might include working with a young adult expressing themselves through a songwriting project, helping an injured veteran regain his speech, or leading a multilingual senior adult drumming group.

Hayley:  One of the biggest challenges I face in this position is creating personalized treatment plans to best serve each individual’s needs. Every client has unique needs, goals, and preferences, and so their treatment plan must be as unique as they are. One of my favorite things about music therapy is the freedom to creatively adapt evidence-based practices to create truly personalized, one-of-a-kind care.

Hayley:  While working with a veteran client through the Wounded Warrior Program, I had the privilege of being joined by his young daughter. Due to the nature of his injury, this client’s communication and movement abilities are extremely limited. While listening to his daughter sing and play drums, he was able to follow her around the room with his eyes, and even answer her questions by blinking a certain number of times. These seemingly small interactions are a priceless gift for a family like theirs. For this client, music is not only a way to stimulate the mind, but also a bridge that allows him to reconnect with those he loves most.