February 18, 2011 - Music Therapy and Disorders of Consciousness

This week I am pleased to discuss the Music Therapy and Disorders of Consciousness seminar that I attended last Friday. This was a fantastic seminar and I have the organizers of the seminar as guests this week: Jennifer Townsend, Kristen O'Grady, and James Maxson.

The one-day event featured prominent therapists and professional speakers who accepted Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center’s invitation to participate in the one-day event and to share their views and experience on a variety of topics related to the care of people in low awareness states, including:

• The importance of relationship
• Techniques and interventions for working with infants at risk for low awareness states in the NICU
• The use of multisensory stimulation
• Neuroaesthetics
• Past work of Mary Boyle, a leading figure in music therapy and disorders of consciousness
• The role of clinical intuition in working with people in low awareness states

The Music Therapy team at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center consists of:

Jennifer Townsend MMT, MT-BC, CCLS, Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow holds a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree in music therapy from Temple University. She is also a fellow of the Robert J. Unkefer Academy of Neurologic Music Therapists. Jennifer is the coordinator of music therapy services and has been working at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center for 5 years during which time she has secured grant funding and developed innovative programming to promote music therapy services. She is a dually certified as a child life specialist and embraces an interdisciplinary model of holistic practice.

Kristen O’Grady MA, MT-BC has been working as a music therapist at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center since 2004. She received her bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Montclair State University and her master’s degree in music therapy from New York University. Kristen will assume the role as President of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association this year.

James Maxson MMT, MT-BC, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit music therapist has been working as a music therapist at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in New York City since 2009. He also works as a music therapist at The Music Therapy Institute at the Westchester Conservatory of Music. James received his masters in music therapy from the University of Florida and his bachelors in music composition from Ithaca College.

To learn more about the music therapy program at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center please go to our website at www.musictherapy-setonpediatric.org You can also learn about the pediatric center by going to www.setonpediatric.org.

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