If you have been to In Harmony sometime these past two weeks and have seen a new, curly headed Italian silently observing various therapy sessions, that would be me! My name is Mia Cellino, and I am so thrilled to be the music therapy intern at Therabeat. I’m coming from the University of Georgia, and I am completing the homestretch of my education here at Therabeat. During my time at UGA, I worked with a wide variety of populations, but I was most drawn to working with children after having a clinical at a local elementary school.
Throughout the past two weeks, I have observed a wide variety of music therapy sessions, as well as occupational, speech, and physical therapy. I also had the opportunity to begin forming relationships with the kids and adults that I will get to spend the next six months working with. I am already learning so much through osmosis and soaking in all I have seen and heard in these sessions! For example, I am learning about the various types of sensory processing disorder, both from observing sessions and reading The Out-Of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz. In a session, a child may show difficulty integrating various inputs of the room--the sound of my voice, the feel of an instrument, the lights in the room, or even a specific song selection. I am learning that it is important to identify each child’s sensory needs and address those through positive multi-sensory interventions. By planning music interventions that cater to a child’s sensory needs, we create an environment that is most beneficial for the child.
A unique aspect of starting my internship at Therabeat at this time is that I am coming in as soon as the staff became settled into the new clinic. We had a ribbon cutting ceremony a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the new clinic opening and all of the hard work that went into making the building fit for therapy. I feel as though I am the new kid on the block coming into a community full of therapists who are passionate about giving the best care possible. I cannot express how grateful I am to be here, because I am privileged enough to arrive after the challenges of moving, and I can reap all the benefits of interning somewhere so well-established and full of love. I am eager to start putting everything I have learned through observation into practice, because I want to contribute to the music therapy sessions in any way that I am able!
Until next time,
Mia Cellino, Music Therapy Intern
Reference:
Kranowitz, C. S. (2005). The out-of-sync child. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.