Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is defined by the Center for Mental Health Services as mental illness that has “resulted in functional impairment which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities” (CMHS 1999). Persons who suffer from such disorders typically experience various levels of wellness and health challenges throughout their lives. This course will provide students and professionals with the tools to identify clients’ strengths and needs at various stages of recovery, from crisis intervention in-patient units to recovery in the community. Through lectures, participants will understand the contribution of various theoretical orientations to music therapy practice, models, and methods in working with persons with SMI at different stages of recovery. In experientials, participants will understand and develop music therapy interventions that reflect the potential of music to address achievable goals such as improving coping skills, emotional regulation, affect, interpersonal skills, and cognitive functioning. Interventions will focus on understanding, differentiating, and applying techniques in all four music therapy methods in a strengths-based, positive intervention, integrative model. In so doing, the music therapy processes taught in this course will address the functional impairments in relationships with self and others that are identified as the characteristics of SMI.
Attendees will receive 6 CMTE credits.