Today, Star Center is celebrating 30 years of being dedicated to helping any person, with any disability, to realize their potential! It all started when Margaret and Chuck Doumitt’s children began losing their eyesight and they began the search for solutions and resources. Their search identified assistive technology as the only resource available that would […]
Music is everywhere. It is all around us and it is an integral part of who we are. In the EDGE program at Union University, music is a part of the curriculum. Each first-year EDGE student participates in music therapy as a means of making social connections, addressing emotional concerns, and making progress toward their […]
The World Federation for Music Therapy declared March 1, 2018 to be WORLD MUSIC THERAPY DAY! In congruence with World Music Therapy Day, starting this month, Star Center’s Music Therapy Department will be bringing you a new post each week. We will share our experiences with the variety of populations we serve; interventions/activities […]
In our previous blog post, we asked the question: “What is ABA Therapy.” The short answer goes like this: “Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA Therapy) is a widely recognized method for reducing harmful behavior and teaching new skills.” ABA Therapy is research-based, individualized, and goal-oriented. These three factors set ABA Therapy apart as an effective therapy. […]
Applied Behavior Analysis is a field of study that focuses on understanding and improving human behavior. By focusing on an individual and their environment, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs, who practice ABA Therapy) are able to identify behaviors that are harmful, as well as skills that need to be acquired. From the assessment stage, BCBAs […]
I’ve learned over the years that very few people know what an Occupational Therapist is. So before you start to think that Occupational Therapists find jobs for people, let me take a minute to explain their role in the habilitation and rehabilitation processes. Habilitation refers to a process aimed at helping individuals who are born with […]
May is better hearing and speech month, an opportunity to highlight the ways Speech-Language Pathologists can improve quality of life for millions of people. “Communication is the Key to Connection.” I have experienced this to be true over and over, and I have the opportunity to help people communicate and connect in ways they couldn’t […]
“Oh yeah! My [insert family member, friend of a friend, or child]’s has Autism!” Usually some variation of this sentence is stated when a person talks with me about being a music therapist and asking what populations I work with. Virtually everyone knows someone with Autism, and it’s often a direct family member. Most people […]
So many people ask me what art therapy is- or how to be an art therapist- or what exactly I do as an art therapist. Usually they excitedly tell me about the adult coloring books they have tried and loved. I love hearing these stories! And today I thought I would answer some of these […]
When someone asks, “what do you do?” I imagine they expect an answer like teaching or counseling. Based on the looks and questions that inevitably follow, “I am a music therapist” is not what they anticipated. Granted the response these days is more often, “oh, you have an awesome job!” This was not the case […]