Music therapy remains viable option

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This article was published 10/09/2020 (2079 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With mental health issues more prominent than ever in the age of social distancing, Courtney Lindenberg’s services as a music therapist are still in high demand.

However, the Brandon resident told the Sun recently that meeting with clients has been slightly different during a pandemic compared to how she has been operating since first setting up shop in 2014.

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, from March to May, Lindenberg said she conducted most, if not all, of her therapy sessions online via Zoom or Facebook Live.

While these virtual meetups lacked some of the warmth and interactivity Lindenberg normally tries to convey in person, she admits that the new format did have its perks for certain people.

“To be honest, I expected it to be difficult,” Lindenberg said. “But for some of my clients, especially some of the kids I work with who are on the spectrum, it was actually almost easier for them to engage because I was on an iPad screen.”

As of June, when coronavirus restrictions began loosening in Manitoba, Lindenberg started visiting clients’ homes and retirement residences again, although she still had to abide by the province’s health and safety guidelines.

“I’d go to Victoria Landing, for example, and I’m allowed to see them outside in person,” she said. “But everyone had to wear their mask and we have to be spaced out, and it’s been like that since June.”

One of the biggest drawbacks from the last couple months is that Lindenberg wasn’t able to conduct sessions at any of the rural schools she has been working with over the last couple years — including Oak Lake Community School, Souris School and Goulter School in Virden — once the students were sent home.

“With their internet connection, or just with their family environment, it was really hard for even teachers to get them involved with school work,” she said. “So it was not really possible for me to do all of my sessions with all those kids when they were home in the spring.”

Despite all these recent changes, Lindenberg’s goal with her practice, Roads to Rhythm Music Therapy, remains the same: to reduce stress and improve people’s mental state.

Of course, Lindenberg’s approach will vary depending on the individuals involved, since she normally deals with a wide variety of clients, from children with autism to seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

“For a child, if they are diagnosed on the spectrum, it’s going to be more of a developmental approach,” she said. “Most of the time it’s about social goals or facial communication or actual speech and languages skills.”

Meanwhile, a senior with Alzheimer’s or dementia could use music therapy to help maintain their memory or relieve feelings of isolation.

But Lindenberg maintains that the healing power of music isn’t limited to people with disabilities.

In fact, the absence of live events throughout the coronavirus outbreak has highlighted how important music is to everybody, which is why Lindenberg decided to take part in Play Music on the Porch Day on Aug. 29 right outside her home in downtown Brandon.

“I just set up my amp and my mic and sat there and just played,” she said. “We actually met a couple of neighbours who we hadn’t met yet across the street. So I had a lot of fun doing it and I’m definitely going to do it again next year.”

Moving forward, Lindenberg admits that she doesn’t know what the fall season is going to bring for a music therapist in Westman and just plans on taking things one day at a time.

But if there’s a silver lining to be gleaned from the last couple months, Lindenberg said exploring virtual therapy sessions has helped her access a whole new client base.

“I’ve been approached by people in Dauphin and other places that I don’t travel to for work normally,” she said. “I guess that option was always there, but it was something that you really never put a lot of time and thought into until now.”

Lindenberg started her music therapy practice six years ago after completing her bachelor of music degree at Brandon University and receiving her graduate certificate in music therapy from Concordia University.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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