MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS
Music therapy can help people of all ages with a variety of mental health needs. There are aspects of our human experience that are difficult to reach with words, and music therapy can provide a valuable tool to gaining insights, developing coping strategies, and connecting with our mind, body, and spirit in a new way. Music therapy is a powerful treatment option for people with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, difficulty sleeping, and more. Our music therapist is also a mental health clinician working under supervision to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.
SOUND BIRTHING MUSIC™
The Sound Birthing Music™ method involves using programmed music interventions to create a birth experience that is calm, safe and supportive. Many people with histories of infertility, previous loss, sexual violence, domestic violence, birth-related trauma, or any history of trauma benefit from music-based strategies for coping during the prenatal, birthing, and postpartum periods.
It is also especially beneficial for birthing people in the LGBTQIA2+ community, teenagers, people with a history of addiction, and those without a support system.
PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
Music therapy interventions can improve pain management and can help people to manage medical conditions and their physical and mental symptoms/side effects. Children with asthma can benefit from playing wind instruments, doing breathing exercises paired to music, or engaging in music visualization. Adults and children alike can benefit from interventions to improve chronic or acute pain management. Following a traumatic injury, music therapy interventions can help the injured to cope mentally and promote physical rehabilitation. Individuals who are receiving infusions as part of medical treatment (such as chemotherapy) can benefit from programmed relaxation exercises. If there is a medical condition or event that is impacting your mental or physical wellness, music therapy interventions may be an integrative treatment option to complement your medical care.
OFFERING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO THE GREATER BERKS COUNTY AREA
"Health is wholeness--a harmony of the parts;
thus, a common goal of music therapy is to help the client to make connections of all kinds,
to put the parts of themself, their life, and their world together into a harmonious whole"
(Bruscia, 2014).
WHAT IS
MUSIC THERAPY?
Social
Emotional
Communication
Behavior
Cognitive
Physical/Movement
Spiritual
Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a board-certified music therapist.
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Music therapists use individualized music-based interventions to address goals using a variety of music, verbal, and nonverbal techniques. Because music is a powerful medium, unique outcomes can be possible. Music therapy can address issues and help clients reach goals within these domains:
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Common interventions may include (but are not limited to): improvisation, music-assisted relaxation/guided meditation, songwriting, playlist creation, developmental music-based interventions, music & movement, lyric discussion, and birthing/postpartum support.
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Some of our specializations are:
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music-based support during the prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum period;
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management and exploration of mental health issues;
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recovering from and integrating trauma;
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developing personalized self care strategies;
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mindfulness-based techniques for both children and adults.
Music is a medium that can be meaningful for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. To discuss if music therapy may be a good fit for your needs, schedule a free 20-minute phone or video consult.
COMMON REASONS PEOPLE COME
TO SUNRISE MUSIC THERAPY
MEET THE THERAPIST
Cara Hart, MA, MT-BC, SBD®
Pre-Licensed Professional Counselor, Board-Certified Music Therapist, Certified Birth & Bereavement Doula
Cara is passionate about helping people access their inherent resilience and strength. Her focus is to meet clients with empathy and openness and give them space to explore and develop meaningful coping skills. Practicing from a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach, Cara combines music-based interventions, traditional psychotherapy/counseling techniques, and mindfulness-based strategies to help clients work towards their goals.
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Cara received a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Voice) with a minor in Psychology from Penn State University in 2015, and earned a Master of Arts in Music Therapy from Immaculata University in 2019. She has clinical experience with people of all ages working towards varied mental health goals, as well as with pregnant people through the prenatal, birthing, and postpartum periods. She has practiced in NICU, Autistic Support classrooms, outpatient mental health clinics, outpatient women's health clinics, and pediatric & adult medical centers. She is currently working towards her license in professional counseling, under supervision.
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After developing a passion for birth work through her time in the hospital setting, Cara became a certified Birth & Bereavement Doula and a Sound Birthing Music™ practitioner in 2020. Cara is passionate about using music therapy interventions in birth work to support people through their spectrum of experiences.
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Cara has extensive experience in grant-writing, program development, and clinical supervision.