KALAMAZOO – With her arm draped over the guitar in her lap, music therapist Hannah Joseph ponders how to begin an impromptu therapy session in her simply furnished office in Kalamazoo.
“Ever heard of the 12-bar blues?” she asks, grinning mischievously.
The rolling chord progression is a staple in music therapy, a field that is quietly battling a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
With its non-threatening familiarity and connection to the human brain, music provides therapists with a way to access teens’ emotions. Therapists use recorded music, hands-on instruments, text analysis, and rhythmic movement to address and alleviate their patients’ mental health issues.
“Music therapy helps teens identify, verbalize and explore their feelings, empowering them to change their behavior and feelings,” says Joseph, a clinical social worker and music therapist who specializes in therapeutic support for children and adolescents at Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling.
Read more in “Second Wave” in Southwest Michigan.
This article is part of a solution-oriented report series by Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaboration. The group, a group of 12 regional organizations, is dedicated to strengthening local journalism and reporting on successful responses to social issues in Southwest Michigan. This story is funded by the Solutions Journalism Network.
