ALL ABOUT MUSIC THERAPY
MUSIC THERAPY 101
BOARD CERTIFIED · EVIDENCE BASED · NEURODIVERSITY AFFIRMING
✓ Board-Certified, Licensed Music Therapists (MT-BC)
✓ Individual & Group Sessions Available
✓ Neurodiversity-Affirming, Strengths-Based Approach
✓ Sensory-Friendly Facility in Downtown Oak Park
✓ In Schools & Communities Across the Chicagoland Area Daily
MUSIC THERAPY AT DYNAMIC LYNKS
Therapy sessions at Dynamic Lynks use a client-centered approach to spark lasting change in the mind-body connection. Through integrating music therapy techniques with current best practices, we help our clients reach their fullest potential in an effective and engaging way!
In addition to exciting sessions for each of our clients, you will learn strategies to use at home to carry over skills learned in therapy for use in the real world.
THE FOUNDATION
Music therapy is an established health profession in which a board-certified therapist uses music intentionally to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social goals within a therapeutic relationship.
It is not about teaching music. It is not entertainment. A music therapist assesses each client's strengths and needs, designs individualized treatment goals, uses specific music-based interventions to work toward those goals, and documents and tracks progress over time.
The music is the tool. The therapy is the work. At Dynamic Lynks, every session is built around your child's specific goals, delivered by a therapist who holds the highest credential in the field.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
MUSIC THERAPY IS NOT
MUSIC LESSONS
MUSIC LESSONS
Teach musical skills and technique
MUSIC THERAPY
Uses music to achieve non-musical goals
MUSIC LESSONS
Success = musical performance
MUSIC THERAPY
Success = reaching individualized clinical goals
MUSIC LESSONS
No clinical training required
MUSIC THERAPY
Requires a university degree, 1,040-hour internship, and national board exam
IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS
WHAT DOES A MUSIC THERAPY SESSION ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE?
Parents often ask: does my child just sit and listen to music? No. Here is what actually happens.
ASSESSMENT & GOAL SETTING
Before your first session begins, your therapist conducts a clinical assessment to understand your child's strengths, needs, communication style, and therapeutic goals.
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Individualized treatment plan created for every client
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Goals are specific, measurable, and reviewed regularly
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Clients and families are part of the goal-setting conversation
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Rooted in understanding how each client experiences the world
SESSION TIME
Sessions are active, structured clinical experiences. Your therapist uses specific music-based techniques to target each goal, following the client's lead within a therapeutic framework.
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Live music, improvisation, and instrument play
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Therapeutic songwriting and lyric analysis
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Movement, rhythm, and sensory-based music activities
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Receptive listening with guided discussion
CARRYOVER AT HOME
What happens between sessions matters. Your therapist provides education, strategies, and resources you can use at home to reinforce skills and support generalization.
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Home strategy recommendations after every session
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Resources and tools tailored to your child's goals
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Progress updates shared with caregivers regularly
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Collaboration with schools and care teams as needed
BOARD CERTIFICATION
MT-BC stands for Music Therapist, Board Certified. It is the national standard for professional music therapy practice in the United States and is awarded by the Certification Board for Music Therapists.
Every therapist on the Dynamic Lynks team holds this credential. It is not a certificate course or an online program. Earning the MT-BC requires years of clinical training, a rigorous internship, and a national board examination.
01
APPROVED UNIVERSITY DEGREE
Completion of an AMTA-approved music therapy degree program, covering music, psychology, and clinical coursework.
02
1,040-HOUR CLINICAL INTERNSHIP
Completion of an AMTA-approved music therapy bachelor's or master's degree program, covering music, psychology, and clinical coursework.
MT-BC
MUSIC THERAPIST, BOARD
CERTIFIED
CBMT
CERTIFICATION BOARD FOR MUSIC THERAPISTS
AMTA
AMERICAN MUSIC THERAPY ASSOCIATION
IAMT
ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC THERAPY
LPMT
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MUSIC THERAPIST (ILLINOIS)
NMT
NEUROLOGIC MUSIC THERAPIST
03
NATIONAL BOARD EXAM
Passage of the CBMT national board exam and ongoing continuing education to maintain certification every five years.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT
Music is one of the only stimuli that activates the entire brain simultaneously. Rhythm, melody, and harmony engage motor, cognitive, language, and emotional processing centers all at once, which is why music therapy can reach individuals who may not respond to other approaches.
This is not just intuition. Decades of neuroscience research support music therapy as a clinically effective intervention across a wide range of populations, ages, and diagnoses.
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RHYTHM ORGANIZES THE BRAIN
Rhythmic entrainment synchronizes neural firing and supports motor planning, executive function, and attention regulation across populations including ADHD and autism.
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MUSIC AND LANGUAGE SHARE NEURAL PATHWAYS
Music processing and speech processing overlap significantly in the brain. Melodic and rhythmic training can directly support language development and communication.
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MUSIC ACTIVATES THE REWARD SYSTEM
Music triggers dopamine release, creating intrinsic motivation to engage. This makes music therapy uniquely effective for clients who struggle to participate in traditional therapies.
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MUSIC REGULATES THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Specific musical elements can activate or calm the autonomic nervous system, making music therapy an evidence-based tool for anxiety, sensory regulation, and emotional dysregulation.
WHO WE SERVE
Music therapy is effective across a wide range of ages, diagnoses, and support needs. A diagnosis is never required to begin.
⟶ NO DIAGNOSIS REQUIRED
Music therapy is for anyone who can benefit from it. We work with individuals across all ages and abilities, including those without a formal diagnosis. If you are wondering whether music therapy is right for your child or family member, the best first step is a free consultation.
EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE
Music therapy is not alternative medicine. It is grounded in decades of peer-reviewed clinical research.
COMMUNICATION
Music therapy significantly improves verbal and non-verbal communication in children with autism spectrum disorder.
A Cochrane systematic review of 26 studies found that music therapy improves social interaction, verbal communication, and non-verbal communication skills in autistic individuals compared to standard care.
Geretsegger et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022
MOTOR FUNCTION
Rhythmic auditory stimulation produces measurable improvements in gait and motor coordination.
Research from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music demonstrates that rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) is one of the most well-supported techniques in neurologic rehabilitation, improving cadence, stride length, and walking symmetry.
Thaut et al., Neurologic Music Therapy, 2014
MENTAL HEALTH
Music therapy reduces anxiety, depression, and distress across clinical and community populations.
A meta-analysis of 55 randomized controlled trials found music therapy to be an effective intervention for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, with effects that held up across age groups and clinical settings.
Tang et al., Public Library of Science 2020
FREE CONSULTATION
START YOUR MUSIC THERAPY JOURNEY TODAY
Book a free consultation and meet the team. We'll learn about your child's needs, answer every question, and match them with the right therapist. No pressure. No commitment.
✓ Free 30-minute consultation — no obligation
✓ Matched with the right board-certified therapist
✓ We'll reach out within 3 business days
✓ Your information is always private & secure