Music Therapy
Our Mission as Music Therapists
Using music as a tool, our board-certified music therapists employ research based methods to help individuals release their potential for wholeness. Our two locations, one in the rural community of Lowell and the other in urban downtown Grand Rapids, help provide accessibility. Our programs enhance and facilitate cognitive training, mobility, social integration and communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Music therapy uses evidence-based research to assist development in the 4 domains of function: cognition, social, physical and communication. Music is the foundational tool to facilitate this growth and form a therapeutic relationship.
Common goals include:
- aid speech development
- reduce anxiety
- improve coordination
- help develop relationships
- increase focusing ability
- provide pleasurable experiences
- develop new skills
- reinforce academic concepts
- offer support at end of life
Ages and abilities may include but are not limited to:
- Children and adults with special needs
- Those with severe mental illness
- Elderly
- Neurological disorders or injuries
- Individuals diagnosed with cancer or other high risk medical conditions
- Young children
- Individuals in hospice and/or palliative care
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
We serve the following facilities in West Michigan:
Lincoln Developmental Center
Lincoln School
Pine Grove Learning Center
KC Oakleigh
South Godwin Elementary
North Godwin Elementary
West Godwin Elementary
Sunset of Jenison
Covenant Living of the Great Lakes
Harbor House Ministries
Porter Hills Village and Porter Hills Green Houses
Georgetown and Cambridge Manors
Clark Retirement Community on Franklin and Kellar Lake
Early Childhood Center, Jenison Public Schools
Dominican Sisters – Grand Rapids
The ARC of Allegan
PACE Care Resources
Spectrum Community Services
Yorkshire and Stonebridge Manors
Network 180: Arbor Circle
Corewell Health Hospice – Allegan, Barry, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties
Lakeshore Assisted Living, Grand Haven
Lowell Public Schools
Maple Ridge Manor of Lowell
Valleywood Middle School of Kentwood Public Schools
Reeths-Puffer Schools, Muskegon
Specific services provided at the Franciscan Life Process Center or contracted with area agencies include:
- music therapy assessment
- individual music therapy
- group music therapy
- music lessons for those with special needs
- consultation services for educational facilities, homes for the elderly, and others
- music therapy internships, observations, field experiences
If your agency is interested in contracting with us, please contact Sandy Koteskey, Center Director & Music Therapist, skoteskey@lifeprocesscenter.org or call: 616-897-7842, ext. 315.
Enrollment is always open, but contingent on the schedule and availability of the therapist. The intake process could vary between one week to up to three months.
Music Therapy Assessment: Children
In our experience as music therapists, we understand that your child’s world is made up of many working parts. Collectively, it helps to have a comprehensive overview of the child’s experience prior to beginning services. Therefore our assessment process is a two-tiered approach:
- Family Interview with the music therapist
- This one-hour meeting (preferably without the client) is with the therapist. It provides the family an opportunity to share any information or documents pertinent to the success of the child’s treatment. For example, medical history, family dynamics, previous evaluations or treatment plans, etc.
- Music Therapy Assessment Session with your child
- This 45-minute appointment is a one-on-one experience with the child and therapist. This session provides the therapist with a hands-on assessment to see the child’s interaction and communication style, as well as assess instrumental responses, preferences and capabilities.
Following these appointments, a treatment plan is designed. The therapist provides a comprehensive report on the assessment and gives the recommended goals and objectives.
Please call 616-897-7842 regarding fees for the assessment and music therapy.
Music Therapy Assessment: Adults
The assessment process for adults is the same as above, but the adult is invited to be a part of it, depending on the cognitive capacity of the adult client.
Please contact Sandy Koteskey, Center Director & Music Therapist, skoteskey@lifeprocesscenter.org or call: 616-897-7842 ext. 315 regarding fees for the assessment and music therapy.
Typically, Music Therapy is not covered by insurance. Some agencies who provide Medicaid support services may cover the cost, but consolation with a social worker is recommended. Health Savings accounts may be used to fund services and monthly statements of payment can be provided.
Other local organizations may provide grants for cost assistance. Family Hope Foundation offers scholarship assistance up to $1000 if selected, and they receive applications twice a year.
If finances are an extreme inhibitor, please contact Sandy Koteskey, Center Director & Music Therapist, skoteskey@lifeprocesscenter.org or call: 616-897-7842 ext. 315.
Interactive Music Therapy Interventions
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Our Music Therapy Internship Program FAQs
Clients Served
Community Based Service, Early Childhood Development, Schools, Geriatric Facilities, Hospice & Palliative Care, and Group Homes
Population: Alzheimer’s/Dementia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Early Childhood, Neurologically Impaired, Developmentally Disabled, Learning Disabled, Speech Impaired, Mental Health, Palliative Care, Hospice
Essentials
Internship Applications due: November 1
Internship start date: Last week of August
Stipend: $500 per month
Meals: Not Provided
Training
The greatest strength of this program lies in the stability and dedication of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist who hold the continuity of the programs at the Center. Together with qualified lay faithful the Center is able to provide a tremendous amount of diversity in programming. The intern will not only work with several music therapists but also with a variety of persons with special needs.
The intern will need to have the ability to be flexible in order to adjust to changes due to weather conditions and have a reliable vehicle for necessary travel.
Contact Amanda Partlo, MT-BC, Internship Director to apply.
Director of Music Therapy Internship Program
Franciscan Life Process Center
Amanda Partlo MT-BC
11650 Downes Street
Lowell, MI 49331-9489
Phone 616-897-7842
apartlo@lifeprocesscenter.org
Links
American Music Therapy Association
Michigan Music Therapy Association
- AMTA requires a total of 1200 hours of clinical training time which can include both internship and practicum hours. This includes a minimum of 900 hours of internship site training.
- At FLPC we highly value clinical training time. We adhere to a policy of a 6 month internship at 40 hours a week. This equals a minimum of 1040 hours in an internship experience. We ask that you complete the full 1040 hours even if you have more than 160 practicum hours. We do not allow interns to work more than 40 hours a week.
- Our tentative start date for internships is usually late August. This would mean your internship would be completed around mid February to early March depending on your schedule and any time off you may take during your time here.
- Yes, this is possible. We are a ‘flexible’ internship. This means that if you need to elongate your internship based around time off (family emergencies, medical procedures, or possibly even working part-time during your internship) we can work through this on a case-by-case basis.
- Another possibility of an elongated internship would be if your internship supervisor and/or university advisor feels that you would benefit from an increased amount of internship time due to the need for more experience. This would be decided during your mid-term or final evaluation period and would not come as a surprise to you if it were to happen.
- This internship allows for your valuable time to be divided between patient contact, documentation, travel, supervision, and office time. We begin with a ratio of 20 contact hours a week to 20 hours of ‘other’ (which would include the supervision and office time, etc).
- Depending on intern needs we try to accommodate an increased number of contact hours toward the middle to end of the internship to better prepare you for what a professional caseload would look like.
- Your placements could include the following:
- Assisted Living/skilled nursing home providing groups and individual services.
- Schools serving groups of children aged 6-26 with a variety of needs including autism-spectrum disorder, and severely multiply impaired children.
- A hospice organization serving hospice patients.
- Individual clients with a variety of diagnoses and a variety of ages.
- You will have 1 hour of weekly supervision with your internship supervisor. You will receive weekly written feedback from your supervisor and music therapy mentors (2-3 different mentors depending on caseload).
- We provide monthly opportunities for group supervision that will include:
- Role playing to practice therapeutic skills
- ‘Crash courses’ on songwriting, guitar, piano
- Improvisation experiences
- Idea and intervention sharing with other MT’s
- Monthly group supervision with a clinical psychologist
- Music Therapy Internship Project that will help develop professional skills and also benefit our Center in some way.
- In short, yes, this is a challenging internship. We expect a high level of competency in a large variety of settings which can be challenging to an intern’s therapeutic skill set and music repertoire.
- You will be required to maintain a schedule that often varies week to week while learning how to prioritize your planning time and focusing on self-care. You will quickly need to learn how to use your time wisely and also learn how to adapt session plans and music to fit various populations.
- You may have up to 3 different music therapy mentors giving you different feedback and will have to be able to process this information and then utilize it in your upcoming sessions. This can be overwhelming at times!
- You will likely have a caseload of clients ranging from age 6 to 96. This will involve a large and varied repertoire of different musical styles.
- This internship will push you well beyond a functional ability in guitar, piano, voice, and percussion to a professional level which requires lots of focus and practice.
- You will be expected to have strong leadership skills and authority in varied settings with different populations, facility staff, and sometimes challenging families of clients.
- The intern will be expected to be highly adaptable and creative.
- Although this is a challenging internship you will have a high level of support from your supervisor, mentors, other music therapists, and facility staff. Our interns are never left alone to facilitate therapy, only in rare occasions as previously determined by intern and supervisor. We are happy to share ideas and resources to assist in this experience and are flexible and accommodating.
- The Franciscan Life Process Center is a religiously-orientated, non-profit organization which professes the philosophy of the Franciscan Life Center Network. That philosophy includes the belief in the sacredness of all life and therefore in the inherent value of each individual human life. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, (FSE) run this organization as an outreach for their mission. The beliefs and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church provide the framework within which the services of the FLPC are carried out.
- You do NOT need to be Catholic to work here. However, you do need to be aware that regardless of your own religious beliefs, as an intern you will be representing the Franciscan Sisters and what they stand for.
- As part of professional development, there will be religious discussions in our staff meetings. This may involve prayer, education, and training in the principles of the Roman Catholic Church, and how it relates to our work. Although we love, respect, and accept EVERYONE who engages with the FLPC, we do approach our work from these principles. We are person-centered and identify people at work and in the community by their names, but do not go further into choice identities.
- Due to the dignity of each person our workplace ensures that all are welcomed and treated with respect, regardless of your faith background.
If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to contact me!
Amanda Partlo, MT-BC
APartlo@lifeprocesscenter.org
