Coronavirus Music Therapy 1 on 1 & Group sessions

Coronavirus Music Therapy

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

How long are your music therapy sessions? One hour long.
What are your hours for providing Music Therapy services? I am available Monday - Friday, 9AM-12N and 1PM-5PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
How much do you charge per hour for a music therapy session? Please see “How can I book a 1 hour music therapy appointment now?” section at the top of the home page for information.
How do I pay for my music therapy session? Please see “How can I book a 1 hour music therapy appointment now?” section at the top of the home page for instructions.
Is doing music therapy through Google Duo video conferencing HIPAA compliant? Yes. Google Duo video conferencing which is HIPAA compliant (patient privacy)
Is Music Therapy covered by Medicare? If a doctor provides a referral for music therapy for a patient, this music therapy treatment is covered under Medicare. However, our organization currently does not accept Medicare patients.
Are you a professional, credentialed Music Therapist? Yes, I earned my MT-BC (board certified music therapist, lic # 15458) license in September 2019 and can practice music therapy professionally until Decemberber 2024 at which time I must renew my license. I also have an MA in Nonprofit Administration, a BA in Social Sciences from UC Berkeley and a 2 Year Certification in Web Design & Multimedia through SFSU.
What is done in an hour of music therapy? 50 minutes is spent in a video conferencing face to face session, singing and playing music together. Then the music therapist (Michael) spends 10 minutes alone writing up client documentation to set goals and objectives and to track client data regarding goals and objectives.
Do you only treat clients already infected with COVID19? No. We will treat any client who can benefit from music therapy as a clinical practice to improve upon individualized goals and objectives. However, we specialize in treating clients who have contracted COVID19, their families & frontline healthcare workers. We also treat clients who don’t want to contract COVID19. Since Michael Sokoloff, MT-BC, MNA, specializes in using music therapy for COVID19, most of the FAQ questions and answers relate to COVID19 music therapy treatment.
What is Music Therapy (in short)? Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ See below for What is Music Therapy (long form).
What are the most common clinical domains that Music Therapy treats? The most common clinical domains that Music Therapy treats are: A. Cognition, B. Communication, C. Emotional, D. Perceptual Motor, E. Psychological, F. Sensory Motor, G. Social
Do you treat any additional clinical domains through music therapy? Yes. I would add the domain “H. General Health” as an additional clinical domain our organization treats through music therapy. Using music therapy to help a client boost his/her immune system, stress reduction, sleep induction can be grouped under the category general health improvement.
How do you assess whether I need Music Therapy? If you book a music therapy appointment right away, a 5 minute music therapy assessment will be part of your first music therapy session. If you are considering booking a future appointment, Michael currently offers a free 5-minute music therapy assessment to determine if a client can benefit from music therapy. For your free 5-minute music therapy assessment, please email Michael at michael@coronavirusmusictherapy.com with a request for a music therapy assessment and your availability. I schedule these free 5-minute music therapy assessments on Mondays from 9AM-10AM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Why does the Music Therapist spend 10 minutes of each music therapy session hour on client documentation? Music Therapy is a professional clinical practice that is data driven with the goal of helping clients to achieve individualized clinical goals. In order for this to occur, 10 minutes of each hour session must be reserved for the Music Therapist to document the client’s progress and share this documentation with the client on a regular basis. Therefore, for each 60 minute music therapy session, 50 minutes are spent with the Music Therapist doing an in-person Google Duo video conference with the client, playing music together and doing music therapy interventions. Then the Music Therapist spends 10 minutes alone after the session doing documentation on the client’s goals and objectives.
Can music therapy cure the Coronavirus (COVID19)? No. And currently, no other medical treatment is a cure for COVID19. As of 4/4/20 there is no vaccination against the coronavirus. Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.” (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html)
Since music therapy can’t cure COVID19, how can it help me if I have contracted the virus? Music Therapy sessions can be used to treat clients with COVID19 and clients who don’t want to contract COVID19 in several ways. Among these are: 1) Immunity Boosting, 2) Stress Reduction, 3) Sleep Induction. In the terrible situation where a client with COVID19 has been given a fatal diagnosis by an MD, music therapy can be used to support hospice goals such as: 1) Life Review, 2) Family Bonding and 3) Family Bereavement. See information in research section for journal and scholarly journal articles that show Music Therapy can be used successfully for these treatments. If you suspect you have contracted COVID19, your first step should be to get a diagnosis from your doctor or primary care provider. Music therapy is not a replacement for an MD’s diagnosis and treatment.
Can music therapy help me from getting the COVID19 virus in the first place? Yes, quite probably. There is scientific evidence that Music Therapy can help clients to boost their immune systems. A stronger immune system can potentially help a client from contracting COVID19 in the first place. Music Therapy can also help a client with stress reduction, and sleep induction, which can boost the immune system. See information in the research section for journal, scholarly journal and peer reviewed journal articles that show Music Therapy can be used successfully for these treatments. According to the CDC, “The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.”. Avoiding being exposed to COVID19 should be one’s first priority. If you suspect you have contracted COVID19, your first step should be to get a diagnosis from your doctor or primary care provider. That being said, music therapy has been shown to be clinically effective in helping clients to achieve individual clinical goals.
How can music therapy help frontline healthcare workers? By helping to prevent burnout. At least one scientific study has shown that hospice staff working for organizations that offer music therapy services are more likely to continue to work at that facility, perceive that their working conditions are better, and feel better about the organization for which they work. See research link for more details.
Can you guarantee results? As an organization we can not promise that music therapy will always allow clients to improve on a particular set of clinical goals and objectives. At the beginning of treatment, the music therapist will do a music therapy assessment to determine if the client can benefit from music therapy. The music therapist will only work with a client if the music therapist believes the client can benefit from music therapy. There is always a chance that a client will not be able to benefit from music therapy, despite a music therapy assessment that indicates the client should be able to benefit. If it is clear that is the case, the music therapist will tell the client so and will ask the client if he/she wants to terminate (end) music therapy sessions.
What happens once you set individualized clinical goals and objectives for treatment? Once the music therapist and client have set individualized clinical goals and objectives in which the client wishes to improve: a. The Music Therapist will track data on the client’s baseline abilities on these goals and objectives, b. The Music Therapist will then track data on whether the client is able to improve on the set goals and objectives, c. The Music Therapist will share this data with the client on a regular basis, usually through line charts, d. If the client does not show improvement, the client can decide to discontinue music therapy sessions, or the client and the Music Therapist can set new goals and objectives and track data to see if the client improves.
What are your qualifications? I am the CEO and Owner of Coronavirus Music Therapy. I am the Bay Area Regional Representative for the California Association of Music Therapy. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Social Sciences. I was on the Dean's List at UC Berkeley. I have a two year certificate in Web Design & Multimedia through San Francisco State University. I have a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from University of San Francisco. I earned my graduate equivalency in Music Therapy from the University of Pacific. And I have an MT-BC (Board Certified Music Therapist) license which I earned in September 2019, valid through September 2024. I earned my 1200 hours of music therapy internship and fieldwork mainly at Victorian Post Acute Skilled Nursing in San Francisco. I did other music therapy fieldwork hours at OnLok Powell Street Assisted Living in San Francisco, at Parkside Villas Residential Living in San Jose, and at Down's Syndrome Bay Area in Danville. Aside from my education, fieldwork and internship experience, I was Chairman of the Board for the Intercounty Fellowship of Alcoholic Anonymous. I have had 20 years experience and service in the field of addiction and recovery. I spent five years working as a Sound Designer for the video game company Koei Corporation and lived as a salaryman in Tokyo Japan for 1 ½ years. I have had 12 years of classical piano training. I play guitar, piano, saxophone, a variety of percussion instruments, I sing and I compose music. I have written two full length musical comedies. I have recorded two albums of original music. I worked as a Musical Director for a San Francisco horror theater company for three years, writing original music for their live shows.
Are you a specialist in Coronavirus Music Therapy? If you consult with a professional MT-BC Music Therapist and the therapist tells you he/she has been practicing Coronavirus Music Therapy for five years, he/she is probably not telling the truth. Coronavirus COVID19 was identified in January 2020. So anyone specializing in Coronavirus Music Therapy has only (today’s date minus January 2020) months of experience in the field. I have chosen Coronavirus Music Therapy as my speciality in the field of Music Therapy. I have six months full time training providing music therapy services in a Skilled Nursing Facility in San Francisco. My 1200 hours of on the job experience have allowed me to develop good skills in how to treat clients in a Skilled Nursing Facility environment which will be beneficial to any client who uses my Music Therapy services.
What is Music Therapy (long form)? Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, 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, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings. https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/
I have a question that hasn’t been answered by these FAQs, how can I ask it? Please email Michael at michael@coronavirusmusictherapy.com with your question.
Why is your FAQ section so long? Wise Alec. : )
I am a board certified (MT-BC) Music Therapist and I want to work for your organization. How can I do so? Currently, I am not hiring MT-BC music therapists for staff members at Coronavirus Music Therapy, Inc. But if you would like to introduce yourself for future consideration, please send me an email to michael@coronavirusmusictherapy.com to say hello.