Recording music in Nashville before beginning my music therapy journey.
A mixed bed of flowers and vegetables I prepped and planted with my partner on a no-till, organic vegetable farm.
Welcome!
Hi y’all. Thanks for visiting the site. I’m Ricky. I started practicing music therapy professionally in 2013. I love working with people and creating or thinking about music. I created Practical Music Therapy because it’s important for me as a music therapist to work to provide support that will translate into tangible positive change in the lives of the people I work with. I wanted to create a one-stop shop where people interested could access individual/group therapy, supervision, education, and training offerings that could be applied to their daily life.
As my logo suggests, I draw a lot of inspiration from nature and agroecology - I see an important parallel between the way we sustain our bodies and communities through natural food growing processes and the way we support our emotional health through creativity and connection. I also wanted to create a safe space to access support for those who must continue to live in isolation due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as well as those who continue precautions in solidarity with our higher risk community members.
Online resources for PMT
Personal favorites:
Queering psychology - New York-based, EMDR-trained, Covid-conscious pyschotherapist with excellent resources around Polyvagal Theory and application and many other mental health topics.
Olivia Belknap Therapy - California-based Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with great professional trainings and resources about Covid.
Sound Balance - Music Psychotherapy - friend and trusted colleague, Al Hoberman, MA, LCAT, is a talented New York-based music psychotherapist who offers Telehealth music psychotherapy for children and adults, is an innovator in the Music and Imagery psychotherapy method, and also offers professional consultation on incorporating music technology and digital music production in music therapy.
Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy (NYC) - groundbreaking and innovative organization in NYC that provides music therapy for groups and individuals, as well as research opportunities and specialized training for music therapists. Where I received some of my first music therapy training as a fieldwork graduate student.
Philadelphia Music Therapy - Pennsylvania-based trauma-informed music therapy, clinical supervision, and continuing education. Excellent Continuing Ed resources for therapists and community members.