Dr. Alan Turry, the Director of the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy, was recently the special guest on episode three of The Disastershock Arts & Recovery Team Reporter's Notebook, a compelling interview series exploring voices of innovative Expressive Arts Advocates speaking to the power of the arts in healing and integrating the mind-body-spirit in trauma recovery, and the restorative impact of community-based arts practices. Watch the full video as Turry and narratologist Dr. Reji Mathew, LCSW, REAT, dive deep into discussion of the history of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy approach, current practices and the powerful nature of musical engagement.
Mathew, in addition to working tirelessly to promote and support the arts therapies, is a senior Clinical Social Worker, Counseling & Wellness, NYU Student Health Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in NYU’s School of Social Work. Turry and Mathew both embrace the Neurodiversity movement, with Mathew making the point that therapists have to be careful not to fall prey to ableism in their approach.
The issue of supporting creative arts therapists is particularly relevant now, as the struggle to pass legislation for insurance coverage continues. Bill A1171A passed the State Legislature in 2022 with widespread support. The bill “requires blanket health insurance policies to provide coverage for outpatient treatment by mental health practitioners”. Disappointingly, despite Licensed Creative Arts Therapists representing 14% of all licensed mental health practitioners included on this bill, they were eliminated from the bill by the Governor at the very last moment.
Turry shares excerpts from sessions and revisits the contributions made by the pioneers, Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins. As they talk about the intricacies of music therapy work, the viewer is allowed to observe the impact which clients actually experience in music therapy.
At the end of the recording, a photo montage of work from the Center is featured while Dr. Turry plays his piano composition sounding their conclusion that “improvisation is a landscape of hope.”
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