Music Therapy for Adults in Inpatient Mental Health Facilities

Written By Kate Kelly, MT-BC, RYT-200

I have worked as a board certified music therapist in inpatient mental health facilities for the last 7 years. Often when I ask patients in this setting how they are doing, I receive answers like, “This is the rock bottom of my life” or “I’m in a really dark place.” When I ask these same individuals if they would like to listen to me play one of their favorite songs on my guitar, the answer is almost always a resounding, “Yes, that’s one thing that could really help me right now.”

At Empower Music Therapy in Nashville, TN we have found the presence of music therapy programming at residential mental health facilities to be a meaningful, life-giving experience for residents and our findings are backed by empirical research on the matter. The Queen Mary University of London conducted a study on music therapy for acute psychiatric patients in 2014. The research suggests that music therapy significantly increased patient engagement, emotional expression, social connection, motivation, and commitment among patients. The study also suggests that creativity, experiential learning, and reflective discussions surrounding the music therapy interventions increased its effectiveness in contributing to mental health symptom improvements.  

Our team at Empower has been inspired by data like this to continue bringing our music therapy services to mental health residential facilities, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, partial hospitalization programs, and intensive outpatient programs. In facilities partnerships such as these we provide group music therapy. We explore a variety of mental health topics like boundaries, safety, and healthy coping skills through music therapy interventions like songwriting, music guided meditation, instrument exploration, and lyric discussion. Following our music-based interventions, we incorporate contemplative conversations and further resources to explore these topics. Empower is committed to incorporating the healing power of music therapy to individuals who are in their darkest days and need a little help finding their inner light again.

References: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/socialpsych/research/ongoing/group-music-therapy/

Kate Kelly, MT-BC, RYT-200

Hi there! I’m Kate Kelly, the proud owner and director of Empower Music Therapy, LLC. I’m a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC), singer-songwriter, and registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) in Nashville, Tennessee.

My journey in Nashville started at Belmont University, where I was a founding member of the music therapy program and was among the first graduating class of music therapy students in 2016. As a practicum student I worked with adolescents with behavioral challenges, children with disabilities, adults with mental illnesses, children with terminal illnesses, and individuals in hospice care. After my first experiences as a music therapy practitioner, I ventured to Costa Rica and acquired a 200-hour yoga teaching certification to better incorporate mindfulness and trauma-informed movement into music therapy sessions.

Following my time at Belmont, I began working at Tristar Centennial Parthenon Pavilion in Nashville. There I received further intensive music therapy training and worked with adolescents, adults, and older adults with mood disorders, thought disorders, chemical dependencies, memory loss, and chronic illnesses in both inpatient and outpatient settings for over 5 years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I noticed an increased need for heath resources, safe places for self-expression, and inclusive communities for individuals with and without disabilities in the Nashville area. I felt that as a board-certified music therapist, I had a skill that could meet the needs of the world around me. I opened Empower Music Therapy and the rest is history! At our practice, I have a caseload of individuals of all ages with and without disabilities that I see individually and in groups. I also still provide mental health programming one day a week at Brightquest Treatment Centers, one of Empower’s community partners.

When I’m not seeing clients, I’m presenting at conferences, applying for grants, creating music therapy employee-enrichment programs, and expanding our practice. I absolutely love what I do! If you come to Empower for a session with Anna Laura or Maria, you will probably see me working at our clinic space. Feel free to come say hi! So glad you’re here.

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