Pediatric Music Therapy 101
From Nathan Mensah, MA, MT-BC: Unless you have extensive experience in the hospital setting, being a music therapist in a pediatric hospital can feel like getting dropped onto a new planet. We are expected to “Speak the language,” yet you may feel you are overwhelmed with new terminology, new job titles you’ve never heard of, and new systems within the hospital. Get a head start on your pediatric journey by familiarizing yourself with medical terminology and the things I wish I would’ve known before starting! Even before coming into the music therapy field, I was a pre-med and my mom was a nurse, so this world is very familiar to me.
Allow me to help you demystify it; I would love nothing more than for you to leave this course feeling more confident in pediatric music therapy. You will be educated on different pediatric units, common diagnoses, the treatment process, symptoms to understand, challenges unique to this setting, your role as an advocate, ways to maximize patient care via working with the interdisciplinary team, and learn about the high level of musicality needed to succeed.
This course is for you, if you have not worked in the Pediatric Music Therapy setting yet (whether student, intern, or professional), but have a desire to do so. This course is a great first step into this world, and one that will set you up for greater success. It is important for our field because many of us want to work in this setting, but rarely get hired due to lack of experience. I hope to help bridge that gap; we need creative new ideas to creatively help our clients with creative (and complicated) problems.
From this class you will take away:
- A comprehensive guide to common medical terminology for quick reference & refreshers, which includes 55+ terms & phrases to help you fit right in to your interdisciplinary team
- Confidence in your ability to be a member of a medical treatment team
- Ability to “speak the language,” advocate for your work, and truly feel seen & heard by your co-workers
- Real world examples to demystify pediatric medical music therapy
This course is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 5 CMTEs.
Do you have questions? Special requests? Group access? Student discount? We will work with you!
Send an email to Paige at Info@MusicTherapyEd.com with your specific request, and we will respond with a custom solution just for you. (Paige is a music therapist too! She can help.)
About the Instructor
Nathan Mensah, MA, MT-BC
Nathan Mensah, MA, MT-BC, is a Board-Certified Music Therapist at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and at St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health Services as part of Hartford Healthcare. Nathan works on a wide variety of pediatric units, and provides services to adults with mental health and dual diagnosis substance use disorders. He currently teaches at Southern Connecticut State University as part of the Music Therapy Department, and at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as part of the Department of Music & Theatre. Nathan regularly presents at Music Therapy Conferences and enjoys providing online education opportunities through wonderful organizations such as Music Therapy Ed, Pediatric Music Therapy, and the Music Therapy Spot. As a passionate musician, he currently performs with the Yale Medical Symphony Orchestra, composing an original concept album, and is working on getting one of his musicals produced.
Kind Words
“[Learning from Nathan] was like a breath of fresh air; it was like all of my life’s favorite teachers speaking to me again.”
“Nate exudes positivity, joy, and genuine compassion to everyone he meets, pulling the best and most honest expressions out of others in his work and professional relationships. He uses his fabulous music skills to help and build others up, both clients and colleagues alike”
Former Intern
“Nathan was an absolutely incredible teacher. He was clear, passionate, extremely knowledgeable on everything he was showing and teaching us. I love the guitar, piano and voice examples, and how he tied history to every lesson. Nathan was an amazing teacher, I hope he does more of these in the future!”
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CBMT Relationship: Pediatric Music Therapy 101: First Steps Forward On Your Medical Journey with Nathan Mensah, MA, MT-BC is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 5 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. Sound Health Music, Approved Provider #P-110, maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria. Please view the required CBMT information.