Mind Body Music Therapy

27/07/2025

A huge week of presentations and meeting with fellow music therapists in Europe. I had fun presenting and being part of a book launch with my colleagues (the book sold out!) Lots to think about on the plane ride home. But first a holiday!

25/07/2025

Excited to be at the European Music Therapy Conference. Events so far:
🎵 A workshop in Music Breathing (a trauma-sensitive adaptation of Guided Imagery and Music)
🎵 Catching up with research friends and colleagues
🎵 Learning about different ways of working from around the world, with hopes and plans to bring this knowledge back to serve the people I work with at home.

I’m looking forward to presenting some of my research reflections tomorrow in a panel presentation, and also being part of a book launch (with a chapter co-authored by yours truly).

10/06/2025

Are you looking for more support in your practice? Join with like-minded peers in a supportive space to connect, discuss and grow. DM me for more info or to express your interest.

🎶

26/05/2025

I've moved buildings, and suburbs, from Thornbury to Brunswick! It's been a big scary move, but I'm finally settled in and excited to share music and connection in this new space.

New favourite things nearby:
- Luther's Scoops
-
- Dejour Jeans in Brunswick
- trams, trains and buses.

Things I'm missing:
- quiet leafy Thornbury
- my friends at Thornbury clinic (come visit me!)
- a 2-minute commute.

Things I'm grateful for:
- more space to move, dance and make music
- the ability to navigate change, and the support of my clients and participants in this.

More pics to come, and groups/workshops brewing...

29/04/2024

I'm planting seeds for a few music therapy groups to start in June at . These groups will be adapted to the needs of participants, and I'm now taking expressions of interest for:

🎵 Music for Social Connection (open group for adults/teens of all abilities, Friday afternoons/evenings)
🎵 Music for Teens/Young Adults (small closed group, days/time TBD)
🎵 Music for Mental Health Support (small closed group, days/time TBD)
🎵 Music for Relaxation and Stress Reduction (open group for adults, days/time TBD)
🎵 Tune In: Music and Emotions (workshops for adults, teens, days/time TBD)

Find out more and express your interest here: https://mindbodymusictherapy.com.au/services/group-music-therapy/

Also: for those who are curious, it's been a while since I posted as I've been busy with the 'doing' of music therapy, which is definitely my happy place. I've also been enjoying tutoring and supervising music therapy students at UniMelb, which continues to be a joyful adventure!

Group therapy supported by music to support stress, anxiety, cancer, dementia, carers and mental health. Join a supportive group today.

25/02/2024

The university year has started, and I’ll be teaching and supervising music therapy students for three whole days this semester, so I might be posting a little less for a few months. OR I might be so inspired by their creativity and compassion that I’m posting MORE!? Either way, I’m stepping into a new rhythm for a bit.

After some beautiful feedback from participants about the Music Therapt taster sessions, I’ll be planning a new series to follow. Stay tuned!
,
🎶 💜🎶💜🎶

16/02/2024

How can music therapy support mental health?

This is a huge passion area of mine. There are so many ways that music therapy can support mental health in sessions, in group settings and at home, and I use it myself all the time.

💜 💜 PLUS: I'm hosting a session THIS SATURDAY on 🎵 Music for Mood 🎵 at . Tickets are still available if you're curious to experience music therapy for yourself! See my bio for more details. 💜 💜

Here are just a few ways that music therapy can support your mental health. Text from images is below.

🎶 A gentle approach
Talking about mental health challenges can be daunting, and it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. Music therapy offers a gentle way to explore challenging topics through sharing meaningful songs and non-verbal expression.

🎶 Non-verbal and musical expression There aren’t always words for what we’re feeling. Music therapy offers another way to share how you feel, and let emotions flow within a supportive structure

🎶 Improved mood
Sharing your favorite music boosts your happy hormones like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Music therapy also gets you in touch with your playful side, so we often find ourselves smiling and laughing in sessions.

🎶 Meaning and identity
Music therapy is a meaningful activity that helps to explore and celebrate who you are beyond your mental health challenges. You might choose to learn an instrument, write songs/raps, or share your musical knowledge with others.

🎶 A resource in times of need
Music therapy helps you identify how music can be helpful when you need it. You might use music to help you calm down, reset, get motivated and more.

🎶 Feel connected
Mental health challenges can feel isolating. Sharing music can help you feel connected, seen and heard at a deep level. When we share music, we synchronise our bodies, minds and emotions. You are not alone, and together, through music, we can move through this.

13/02/2024

This was us last weekend sharing music for social connection. Join us for our next session this Saturday at for week 3: music for mood! We will be learning how to use music as a resource in our daily lives, and getting some happy hormones going! More details are in the bio.

04/02/2024

Yesterday’s session at was so lovely. Time slowed down for just a bit, and there were lots of lovely reflections on the role of music in our lives. Join us next week for Week 2: Music for Social Connection (see bio for more details).

29/01/2024

Music therapy helps to reduce stress in your mind and body through:

🎶 Slowing your heart-rate
🎶 Reducing stress hormones (cortisol)
🎶 Releasing feel-good hormones (oxytocin, endorphins & serotonin)
🎶 Increasing positive emotions
🎶 Providing a distraction from worrying thoughts.

Come and experience this for yourself 🎵 THIS SATURDAY 🎵 as we explore ways to use music for relaxation, mindfulness and stress-reduction.

✼❂❀ 10.30am - 12pm at ✼❂❀
✼❂❀ Tickets $40 full/$25 concession or get a discount if you book all four sessions ✼❂❀
✼❂❀ More info and tix here https://events.humanitix.com/music-therapy-taster-sessions ✼❂❀

08/01/2024

I often get asked “what happens in a music therapy session?” Every session looks different depending on the person and their needs, but hopefully this little description gives you some insight into what it COULD look like.

First, we orient and check in to help you land and decide what our focus will be today. This looks different for everyone, but it might start with a musical ritual or a chat.

After this, there’s generally space to choose an activity that relates to your needs. This could include:

🎶 Expressing yourself through singing, playing an instrument, rapping, songwriting or listening to special songs

🎶 Learning something new (like an instrument or singing) to experience a sense of accomplishment and meaning

🎶 Using music support your mood in sessions and beyond. This could include playing music or making supportive playlists.

🎶 Using music to feel connected. This could include playing music together or practicing social skills through musical games.

🎶 Reflection. Reflecting on your musical experiences helps to build insight and identity helpful musical activities.

🎶 And so much more. Stay tuned for more posts about music therapy in January.

04/01/2024

To bring in the new year, I’ll be sharing a series of posts about music therapy - what it is, what it’s like and who it’s for. This first post gives a broad answer to the question ‘What is music therapy?’.

Music therapy is:
🎶 An allied health profession
🎶 Goal-directed and evidence-based
🎶 Personalised
🎶 All about the therapeutic relationship
🎶 Fun! Challenging. Meaningful.
🎶 And more…

If you have a question or curiosity about music therapy, comment below! I’ll be posting on this topic all January, so I’d love to cover what you’re really curious to know!

Kate 🎶💜