For a child, the hospital can be a strange and scary place filled with unfamiliar people, sights and sounds. Common reactions to hospitalization are to become quiet and withdrawn or out of control and uncooperative. The Children’s Experiences team at Nicklaus Children's Hospital strives to normalize the hospital environment by providing psychosocial therapeutic support through family-centered care with the goal of enriching the patient experience.
One of our Children’s Experience programs, Music Therapy, is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each child, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, the children’s abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives.
At Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Musical Therapists work with patients and their care teams every day to help the children and their parents cope with anxiety, relieve pain and create positive interactions. Our Music Therapy program generates positive, therapeutic change that endures over time.
Support of the Music Therapy Program at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of young patients each year and touches the hearts of physicians, nurses and families - all of us.