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| Pictured is Allyson Sosa |
In June, 24-year-old State of the Heart Hospice Music Therapy Intern Allyson Sosa wraps up a six month internship program, fulfilling requirements to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy, enabling her to graduate from the University of Dayton.
“During my internship, all of the classes I took while I was in college came into play as I was applying my coursework in my duties as a music therapy intern at State of the Heart,” stated the Cincinnati native. “All that I had learned I was able to tie together when visiting the patients and their families.”
She particularly enjoyed the “holistic” approach of hospice care, she explained, where the needs of both the patient and the family are addressed. “Often people forget that family members need support just as the patient does,” she added. A team of hospice caregivers address the needs of both the family and the patient.
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 patients and individuals. Music therapy is helpful in decreasing patient stress and anxiety, in assisting with pain management, and providing emotional support to both patient and family. It also enables opportunities for communication and self expression. State of the Heart has two board certified Music Therapists, Amy Pearson and Brittany Scheer. The nonprofit agency has an ongoing music therapy internship program, one of the few out of over 100 hospices in Ohio. In addition to State of the Heart Hospice, there is one other hospice internship program in Indiana. .
Sosa has a younger brother with special needs and saw firsthand how therapists helped her brother and her family. This left a definite impression on her. She was musically inclined, playing the piano when she was around seven years old, she explained. She wanted a career that would combine her love of music with her desire to be of help to others with psychological needs. After about two years in college, she discovered the subject and profession of music therapy. “From there, the doors just kept opening,” she said. Being a music therapist accomplishes her career goals, combining both music education and psychology. Upon graduation, she is contemplating either going into hospice work, or pediatrics. She would like to pursue a Master’s Degree in Counseling.
Amy Pearson, who along with Scheer, supervised Sosa’s internship, said “Allyson has proven to be a hard working, dedicated intern who has flourished during her internship at State of the Heart. As she completes her final month, I am confident that she is prepared to enter the work force as a professional music therapist!”
Sosa said that she learned a great deal in her internship, particularly flexibility. “Our days are dictated by patient needs as we have to be there for the family and patient when they need us, not according to a schedule,” she said. “The needs of a patient or family member direct our day. It is on their schedule of need, not our planned day.”
She related two instances where she saw how music therapy helped someone. One instance was when she was visiting a patient, she explained, “who was having shortness of breath and anxiety. Through my playing and singing, the patient relaxed visibly, increasing her comfort level.” In another instance, she helped a child who was having difficulty with the impending loss of her mother. “The child was able to write some words and apply them to music, explaining how she felt about losing her mother,” she said. “It gave the child the chance to express what she was going through, channeling it through music therapy.”
Both instances, she said, were “gratifying,” as she realized the value of her professional abilities and what she had brought to the patient and to the child. She realizes, she added, that Music Therapy is the “perfect fit” for her.
For 33 years, State of the Heart Hospice has cared for patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. For more information about any of the services provided by the agency, visit the web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.