Therapeutic Rhythms

05/03/2023

***shared with permission***

Had the amazing opportunity to help facilitate one of my patients meet recording and Grammy award winning artist Zach Williams 4/23. His compassion was amazing!! He talked to Avery just like any other girl, but understanding and being patient if/when she was able to respond. (Mostly because she is a big listener and in new situations she isn't always sure how to respond). He even thought to ask her if she'd want a hug and waited for her to respond!!

In the concert he dedicated "There Was Jesu" to her. There is good in this world! There are good people!

Can't thank Christine Wilson and the team from KSBJ enough for all they did to make this happen!!

works!

03/30/2021

To all the parents, grandparents and caregivers of children with extra and special needs... We see you. You are heroes!

I see you taking your kid to therapy while your friends take their kids to football or ballet.

I see you sneak out of the conversation when all your friends boast about achievements and exam notes.

I see you juggle events and meetings.

I see you sitting on the computer for hours investigating what your child needs.

I see you make a bad face when people complain about what looks like nonsense.

I see you disappear little by little but you keep going beyond for your family.

I see you pull strength from weakness with a force you didn't even dream you had.

I see you showing respect for teachers, therapists and medical professionals who help your child and help you.

Watching you wake up early in the morning to do it all again after another chaotic night.

I see you when you're on the edge of the precipice struggling to live.

I know you feel invisible, like no one notices.
But I want you to know that I see you.

I see you push forward always. I see you choose to do everything you can to give your child the best care at home, school, therapy and the doctors.
What you do matters. It's worth the struggle.

On those days when you wonder if you can make it one more minute, I want you to know I see you.

I want you to know that you are beautiful.
I want you to know it's worth it. I want you to know that you are not alone. I want you to know that love is the most important thing, and that you are the best at it.

And in those days when you see an improvement, those moments when hard work has its reward, and you can taste success, I'll see you then too.
And I'm proud of you.

Whatever day today.....you're doing it right.

And I see you. ❤

✒ Alethea Mshar
📷 John Walker / Flickr

12/05/2020

I got to see this movie screened and meet my wonderful colleague Tom Sweitzer with his client Forrest Allen. What an amazing story! What's even more amazing is this IS what is possible with music therapy!!. Can't wait to see it again. It's a MUST see!

Music Got Me Here traces one teen’s recovery from traumatic brain injury via music therapy.

09/11/2020

With the state of our world right now... this is more important than ever. Many people who are struggling... you'd never know because they are ashamed to admit it. With awareness... you could save a life!

‼️TW: Image talks explicitly about suicide‼️

It’s National Su***de Prevention Week! And I wanted to start it off by talking about all of the different types of suicidal ideation. It’s important to recognize the differences between different types of ideation in order to better support those dealing with it and respond effectively, appropriately, and non-judgmentally. Too many people don’t recognize the difference, which can end up with reactions that aren’t proportionate to the situation.

Tomorrow we will talk about different “baselines” of ideation. Annnnnnd these illustrations may be available soon as a Digital Download pack! 🥰

Note: I’ll work on the image description soon—Feeling exhausted today so I can’t right now. But will 💖

PRINT: https://alyseruriani.com/collections/all/products/suicidal-ideation-print

08/14/2020

Hi! We are looking for 4-6 people who have had a stroke, brain injury or live with Parkinson's to try a Virtual Choir for FREE!!! We know regular choirs using NMT techniques are excellent for helping with: word finding; articulation; breath support; vocal volume; rhythmic pacing of words, and the melody of speech called "prosody". PLUS, live singing is one of the best ways to boost your mood as it releases feel good chemicals in our brains. And who doesn't need to be more connected to other people right and improve our outlook on life now, but in a safe way?

All that is needed is a computer or personal device with a video camera, stable internet connection, and willingness to participate for 1 hour a week for 6 weeks to test out the technical aspects and clinical outcomes. A support person might be needed depending on the participant's needs and familiarity with the computer. We hope to start the week of September 21
with a morning time around 10 am CST.

Could you or someone you love benefit? Please share! Contact is: rachel@therapeuticrhythms.net

06/13/2020

06/13/2020

Powerful story from my colleague Tim Ringgold. And a wonderful podcast!!

The first words baby Bella heard when she entered the world were in a song her daddy wrote for her, aptly named “Bella’s Song.” In fact, Daddy – AKA Tim...