$95/month

Access this course along with 100+ CMTEs and more!

Cancel anytime. No obligation.

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What you can expect to walk out of this course with:

  • Walk away with a new-found COMMUNITY of friends becoming better songwriters & building verbal skills so that you are never alone
  • Write 3 original songs (at minimum!) with peers so that you have a vault of fresh rep to access with clients.
  • Learn and practice verbal interactions with peers so that when you work with clients, you KNOW that you are doing everything in your power to provide a strong sense of safety & unconditional positive regard.

Essentially, this is a self-worth & empathy building course.
Most of us want to improve our verbal skills when working with clients. This course is a good fit for you if you’ve ever wondered the following:

  • How can we use words or verbal skills to better support our clients without moving outside our boundaries of practice?
  • What are effective responses when our client discloses sensitive information?
  • What if I’m at a loss for words, and uncertain how to use words to facilitate a therapeutic environment when tensions arise?
  • How can I effectively use prompts to express that our sessions are a safe place for my clients?
  • What kind of verbal responses can I use to demonstrate my true feelings of unconditional positive regard and nonjudgment towards my clients

When we are able to weave all the above into a supportive songwriting process, and get out of the way as our clients move forward, deep support in the truest sense can take place.

We are all eager to develop better verbal & songwriting skills as a ways to engage clients. This workshop will address both skill sets. The instructor will also invite participants to review our code of ethics and to consider how the AMTA values and principles relate to the development of these skills. She will also ask participants to adopt a perspective of humility and be open to learning about cultural responsiveness and ethical behavior. The instructor will ask students to gently point out any potential dilemmas in the above areas that may arise during the workshop.

Full course description

This course is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 8 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.)

This course comes with a VIP Membership!

  • Access to 100+ CMTEs at your fingertips
  • Monthly VIP Support Call – come share about your business, your work, your relationships, your EVERYTHING! We are here to support & uplift one another
  • 5 unlocks per month inside our renowned intervention idea database – search 100+ interventions for ideas based on your setting & your clients’ goals
  • Personalized support from Kat, our team, & our community – sign up includes a chat with Kat right away

Cancel any time. No obligations.

About the Instructor

Tracy Richardson

Tracy Richardson, PhD, MT-BC

Tracy Richardson, PhD, MT-BC, serves as Professor of Music Therapy and the Dean of Graduate Therapy and Counseling Programs at St. Mary of the Woods College. She is a trail-blazer and multi-passionate creative colleague who has accomplished the following:

  • Published a dissertation focused on the impact of a training for music therapists to become better at clinical songwriting.
  • Worked with a team of professionals to create the M.A. in Music Therapy in a hybrid distance learning format in 1998 – the first of its kind in our field. The design enabled Music Therapists to seek graduate education without changing jobs or relocating.
  • Developed the unique Music Therapy Equivalency Distance (MTED) program in 2011, for those with music degrees who want to pursue music therapy education and clinical training. This program is also in the hybrid distance learning format and allows students from across the nation to work toward the goal of becoming a music therapist.
  • Provides Creative Team Building experiences to companies desiring to improve employee engagement, collaboration, and creative thinking. This includes giving presentations and workshops on Expressive Songwriting and topics related to music, music therapy, wellness, and women’s issues.
  • Performed in arenas that hold 10,000 and in coffee houses that hold 50.
  • Authored a book for aspiring Superwomen entitled “Who Moved My Cape?! Letting Go of Your Superwoman Expectations.”

We are thrilled to have a colleague of such high caliber join our team of instructors at Music Therapy Ed.

Kind Words

I can’t even describe how rewarding of an experience leading this [songwriting experience taught by Tracy] was for me. The participants used such unique and specific description words, which… made it all the more deep and meaningful for them to listen to. Thank you Dr. Richardson for sharing this wonderful [session idea]!”

Nicole Birmaher, MT-BC

Tracy Richardson was amazing! It was so hands on, interactive, and was a tangible activity that I can mold to serve the needs of my patients. I would LOVE a whole day of interactive sessions like that. I would happily enroll in an all-day event participating in activities and intervention-sharing sessions.

Bobbi Jo Vandal, MT-BC

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CBMT Relationship: Verbal and Songwriting Skills: For Music Therapists with Tracy Richardson, PhD, MT-BC is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 8 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.