About Me.
I am a seasoned clinician, transformational leader, and proven administrator with decades of experience in music therapy, clinical practice, and higher/continuing education. I am deeply committed to advancing the profession through ethical leadership, curriculum development, and inclusive training models, and I am passionate about equipping the next generation of music therapists. I bring a strategic lens, a commitment to excellence, and a values-driven approach to every aspect of my work.
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I am the Owner and CEO of Connecticut Music Therapy Services, LLC, a multi-therapist private practice providing clinical services across the state. My expertise in program development, administration, and supervision has shaped the company’s reputation for clinical excellence and sustainable practice.
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My specialization in trauma-informed care (TIC) is grounded in both personal and professional experience, including long-term work following the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy. Through extensive training, research, and scholarship, I have earned an international reputation as a thought leader and advocate in integrating TIC into music therapy. I contribute regularly to this evolving discourse through courses, presentations, and publications designed to elevate trauma-responsive practice in both education and clinical settings.
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As an experienced educator, I have developed and taught courses at institutions including Southern Connecticut State University, Quinnipiac University, and Alverno College, with an emphasis on ethics, trauma-informed care, music and health, and disability justice. I created the Certificate in Trauma-Informed Music Therapy, a specialized continuing education program for professional music therapists through my continuing education company, EnlightenCE. I also co-designed and facilitated the national AMTA Symposium, a live/hybrid continuing education event engaging music therapists from around the world.
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My leadership extends to continuing education initiatives, educational settings, in-patient hospice care, and community-based disaster response. I have authored and co-authored numerous chapters and articles on trauma-informed care, ethics, community engagement, and music therapy business practices. I am frequently invited to lecture, present at conferences, and collaborate at regional, national, and international levels.
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I have served the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) in multiple capacities, including as a nine-year member of the Ethics Board (2012–2021) and as Vice President on the national Board of Directors. In Connecticut, I played a central role in the successful advocacy efforts for state title protection and licensure for music therapists.
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I hold an EdD in Educational Leadership from Alverno College, a Master in Music Therapy from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Duquesne University. I live in Monroe, Connecticut, with my husband, two teenaged sons, and our cat, Foxy.
Acknowledgement
First, I wish to thank my family, especially my husband and sons for their unwavering support. I am blessed to be part of an incredible community of music therapists and educators and for this I am deeply grateful.
As a white, cis, middle class woman with straight privilege, I acknowledge my ancestors who immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s from Ireland, Germany and Wales. Through their work I have been given opportunity and privilege to engage in higher education. As a music therapist educator and clinician I acknowledge the vast privileges I hold. As a professional who was tapped to be a leader from early in my education, and as a professional interacting in systems which can't be fully separated from the traumatic and oppressive colonial, racist, classist, ableist and sexist values. My commitment is to lead and co-conspire with others to resist and change oppressive systems, and to support healing from individual and collective trauma.
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I humbly acknowlege that the land on which I work and write is the unceded ancestral land of the Pequonnock, Paugussett, Wappinger, and Schaghticoke tribes. I encourage you to learn about the history of the land you live on and be a witness to that history, and to find ways to honor the indigenous land on which you live, such as supporting tribes that may still reside in your communities.
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