Music Therapy
HELPING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES THROUGH THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC.
Music has the ability to stimulate the mind, body and spirit. It can help a person relax, create calm in the face of adversity, provide motivation and even make the spirit soar.
For patients, music can also help them heal.
OUR MISSION
Music Therapy has been a part of the healing mission of the Center for Performing Arts Medicine at Houston Methodist since 2014. Our music therapy program is a referral-based, bedside therapy service offered to patients and their families. The goals of a music therapy session are specific to medical diagnoses, development and course of treatment, and discharge timeline.
Music therapy can help patients improve cognitive, physical, psychological and social functioning. Research shows that music helps alleviate pain as well as decrease blood pressure, heart rate, stress and anxiety. It also can improve blood flow and respiration.
At Houston Methodist, board-certified music therapists use music to:
- Improve cognitive and sensory stimulation
- Provide comfort care
- Reduce anxiety and stress
- Decrease depression symptoms
- Offer emotional support and expression for patients and families
- Increase communication skills
- Minimize sedation for procedures
- Manage pain without drugs
- Provide a positive means for coping
- Stimulate and improve physical functioning
- Improve traumatic brain injury outcomes
Music therapists use research-based music interventions to help patients improve in the following areas:
- Attention and perception skills
- Communication skills, including speech and language
- Memory
- Physical rehabilitation
- Stress management and coping skills related to hospitalization and life changes
HOW CAN I GET MUSIC THERAPY?
Music therapy is an inpatient bedside service. Any staff member can refer a patient for music therapy. Talk to your doctor or a nurse to find out if music therapy is available on your unit.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING A MUSIC THERAPY SESSION?
Your music therapist will work with you to understand your goals and desires of treatment as well as your preferences and expectations. Once goals are established, your therapist will provide music-based interventions to meet those goals. Interventions can include songwriting, lyric analysis, music improvisation, adapted music lessons, neurologic music interventions (relating to how the body and brain responds to music), music-assisted relaxation and music listening.
WILL INSURANCE COVER MUSIC THERAPY?
Music therapy is reimbursable through certain insurance companies and waiver programs. However, when it is not, inpatient music therapy may be offered free of charge to patients.