Therapeutic Listening is a treatment approach which combines sound-based intervention with sensory integrative treatment techniques. It provides auditory stimulation, through the use of enhanced and specially recorded music, as a means of accessing the nervous system and stimulating areas of the brain used in listening and processing sensory information. Therapeutic Listening is to be used as part of a daily home program, in combination with additional sensory integrative activities, to achieve goals and skills. The Therapeutic Listening program uses a variety of music, chosen specifically for each child to meet his/her particular needs.
Benefits
When used appropriately in combination with additional sensory applications, Therapeutic Listening has been found to assist in attainment of skills such as:
- Praxis, motor planning, bilateral coordination, and fine motor skills
- Focus and attention
- Self-regulation
- Organized behavior
- Postural control
- Oral motor skills and articulation
- Social skills and communication
- Sensory defensive behaviors
- Eating and sleeping patterns
- Response to sounds and verbal directions
Children who have difficulties in any of the above areas may benefit from Therapeutic Listening. Therapists trained in Therapeutic Listening complete an evaluation to determine if the individual would benefit from the program.
The Therapeutic Listening Program begins with the child listening to the requested music two times per day, for 30 minute sessions, 7 days per week. Music selections are individualized, based on the child’s specific needs and goals of the intervention. The Therapeutic Listening Program will typically last from 8 weeks to several months, based upon the child’s response and needs. When listening, the child may engage in play or sensory activities or listen quietly. Additional sensory and movement activities are used to assist in increasing the benefits of listening and skills related to the child’s goals.
The Therapeutic Listening Programming requires the use of specific equipment to achieve benefits of listening. The therapists work with the families to obtain the necessary equipment for the program. Please consult with an Occupational Therapist if you have a child who you think may benefit from Therapeutic Listening.
Locations
Adult Program, Kids Program
Therapeutic Listening is a specific sound-based intervention that is embedded in a developmental and sensory integration perspective. Our staff has specialized training in Therapeutic Listening.
Therapeutic Listening
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Brain Sense Therapy
What is Therapeutic Listening
Vital Links describe listening as a function of the entire brain and goes well beyond stimulating the auditory system. It is a voluntary act. Active listening is dynamic and continually adapting. Listening requires the desire to communicate and the ability to focus the ear on certain sounds selected for discrimination and interpretation. An individual actively listens and directs attention to sounds in the environment with the whole body.
Therapeutic Listening is a comprehensive, multi-faceted sound-based approach that involves much more than just the ears. Like other sensory systems, the auditory system does not work in isolation. Neurologically it is connected to all levels of brain function and as a result it has a vast range of influence. How we listen impacts not only our overall physiology, but also our behavior.
Therapeutic Listening is a specific sound-based intervention that is embedded in a developmental and sensory integration perspective. The music in Therapeutic Listening gives the listener unique and precisely controlled sensory information. The music is electronically modified to highlight the parts of the sound spectrum that naturally capture attention and activate body movement, synchronizing it with the environment. Therapeutic Listening uses electronic modifications, along with the organized, rhythmical sound patterns inherent in music, to trigger the self-organizing capacities of the nervous system.
Many therapists currently trained in Therapeutic Listening find it an important addition to their Sensory Integration treatment modalities that can increase the intensity and shorten the duration of treatment.
For further information on Therapeutic Listening please click on the Vital Links website which opens a new window to the official Vital Links website and for further details on the accredited training through Brain Sense Therapy here in the UK and Ireland please scroll down.
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The Therapeutic Listening Program® is a music based tool developed by Sheila Frick of Vital Links to help people tune-in to and respond their world. Anna and Elaine are two Specialist Occupational Therapists with extensive experience working with children, young people, families and adults. They are passionate about using the Therapeutic Listening Program to improve peoples lives and have worked closely with Sheila Frick, OTR the founder of the Therapeutic Listening Program® Both were trained by Sheila to an Advanced level and have been privileged to be chosen to attend her Beyond Therapeutic Listening training in the US. To help support and develop the use of Therapeutic listening within the UK and Ireland, Anna and Elaine set up Brain Sense Therapy in 2013. Brain Sense Therapy offers specialist training courses, individualised and group mentorship and supply specialist equipment for therapists and families using or wishing to use the Therapeutic Listening Program®.
Meet The Team
Anna Richardson, B.Sc. (Hons) OT, is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and a graduate of Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. Anna has experience of working with children of all ages and diagnoses but specializes in the assessment and treatment of with children with complex sensory, physical and communication difficulties aged 0-5 years. Anna works part-time in the NHS and part-time in private practice. She acts as a consultant in supervising therapists in a range of contexts and advising on service planning and delivery.
Elaine Mc Mahon, B.Sc. (Hons) OT, PgCert SI, is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and a graduate of Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom. Elaine trained in Therapeutic Listening in 2009 and uses Therapeutic Listening across a number of settings including the National Health Service (NHS) and private practice. Elaine has special interests working with individuals with autistic spectrum disorders; emotional and behavioral difficulties, developmental difficulties and delay; and children with hearing impairments.
Training Courses
If you need any assistance in booking a course, ordering equipment or require further information on the mentoring services we provide, don’t hesitate. Contact Brain Sense Therapy today.
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