Many of our young people carry the weight of traumatic experiences on their shoulders. Research shows that these adverse experiences correlate to a number of negative health and social outcomes later in life. They also make it difficult for them to fully enjoy life and to just be kids.
That is why Mercy Home provides a wide variety of therapeutic resources for the young people in our care. Among these is music therapy. Along with traditional one-on-one therapy, music therapy can help young people navigate challenging experiences, regulate their emotions, and learn effective ways to build healthy relationships and communication skills.
Matthew Kwon is a self-taught musician and music therapist at the Institute for Therapy Through the Arts who provides sessions for youth at Mercy Home. Kwon uses a combination of music and the arts to reach our young people on a deeper level and help them process their emotions where words might fall short.
“I think [music therapy] can reach people when they feel stuck, and when they can’t be reached out to,” Kwon said. “[It also] utilizes both hemispheres of the brain at the same time and has the capability of creating new neuron pathways.”
Music therapy can help young people navigate challenging experiences, regulate their emotions, and learn effective ways to build healthy relationships and communication skills
Each session is held in our music room and looks different for every individual depending on their needs. Kwon might play musical games with participants, let them write or sing a song, create musical beats on an iPad, or play a variety of instruments, such as the piano, drums, guitar, and ukelele.
“We do a lot of healthy relationship skills building and coping skills [in our sessions],” Kwon said. “It’s important for them to feel like they can be their authentic selves and feel safe. I give them the space to support them and allow them to make mistakes and grow from them.”
But there are times when our youth are hesitant to express their feelings. In those instances, Kwon lets them pick a song that reflects their mood, which they will both listen to together before talking about the meaning and themes behind the song.
“The processing we do while listening to a song allows them to feel validated on what they’re experiencing,” Kwon said.
Josh has benefited from the music therapy sessions.
It’s a lot of fun jamming out and developing a therapeutic rapport and trust [with the youth].
Josh, a resident at the Home, has benefited from the music therapy program.
“It’s been fun learning about music, and how to interpret things that I’m going through in a way that I understand better,” Josh said. “Matthew doesn’t push me to do something. He wants it to be about me and makes sure that I’m comfortable. He’s there to guide me, as I get out of my comfort zone and catch me if I need it.”
Not only does this program help our kids therapeutically, it also creates an environment where they feel encouraged to engage in their own childhoods. And it’s been rewarding for Kwon to see them grow and get out of their comfort zone.
“[Mercy Home] is one of my favorite sites that I go to,” Kwon said. “It’s a lot of fun jamming out and developing a therapeutic rapport and trust [with them]. There’s a lot of laughing that happens in sessions. It’s cool being able to contribute to that experience, and seeing their character grow, and them feeling a bit more comfortable in their own skin and figuring out who they are.”
Arturo Gudino, Mercy Home’s director of admissions and clinical director, has seen how transformative the program has been for our youth who struggle to find themselves.
“The kids are finishing their sessions and actually enjoying it,” Gudino said. “A lot of our youth, when they come to Mercy Home, don’t know what fun is. They don’t know what being a kid is because some of them had to take care of their own siblings. At Mercy Home, they finally get to be kids.”
The music therapy program would not have been possible without our generous friends at the Bruce B. Boyd Foundation, who supported the program this year. And our young people expressed their gratitude in letters to the foundation.
“Thank you for funding the music room,” Evan, Mercy Home resident said. “Because of you, I can play music, since it’s my number one coping mechanism. I appreciate you. Thank you.”
“Thank you for the generous donation to our music therapy program,” Josh said. “I have benefited from the program. The donations that you and others make give people like me the opportunity to grow in unimaginable ways.”
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