Bringing Comfort Through Music
Music has long been recognized for its therapeutic benefits, especially in providing comfort during life’s most challenging times. At Gilchrist, the Music Therapy Program plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for patients and their families. With a dedicated team of music therapists, including Jillian Reed, the program not only brings comfort to those in hospice care but also brings deep fulfillment to the therapists themselves. For Jillian, being able to help patients through music is a source of joy and purpose.
The Journey to Gilchrist
Jillian’s journey into music therapy was shaped by both personal experience and professional passion. When her grandmother was on hospice, Jillian’s family, being musically inclined, gathered to sing for her. When Jillian saw what joy the music brought her grandmother, a spark ignited within her. “I just remember everybody laughing and giggling, and she was just having a really great time… I was like, oh, something’s happening here with music,” Jillian shares. This experience awakened her passion for using music as a therapeutic tool in end-of-life care and led her to pursue a degree in music therapy.
After completing her internship with a hospice in Poughkeepsie, Jillian felt a deep connection to end-of-life care. Witnessing firsthand how music could provide comfort, connection, and even closure for patients and their families, Jillian knew she was meant to bring music therapy into hospice care. “I just felt so connected to end of life and knew that this is exactly what I was supposed to be doing,” she says. Now, with fifteen years as a music therapist, Jillian continues to use music to bring light, healing, and peace to those facing life’s final chapter.
The Impact of Music Therapy
Unlike popular belief, Music Therapy isn’t just the therapists simply singing to patients. Gilchrist’s Music Therapy Program offers a range of interventions tailored to meet the social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and cognitive needs of individuals and their families. These interventions include songwriting, improvisation, imagery with music, lyric analysis, singing, instrument playing, and relaxation techniques.
Jillian shares the unique power of music in hospice care: “Music has the ability to hold difficult emotions that occur during end-of-life, but also bring some lightness and laughter and joy and celebration into that space.” Music therapy also allows patients to express how they are feeling through other outlets. Jillian recounts a recent experience with a patient who struggled with verbal expression but found solace in songwriting. Through their sessions, the patient told Jillian, “This music therapy thing is really working. When I write this music, I can talk about all the darkness and the frustration that I have, and then the chorus kind of gives me an answer on how to treat that.”
The Internship Program: Nurturing Future Therapists
Gilchrist’s commitment to music therapy extends beyond patient care to cultivating future therapists through its comprehensive internship program. Established over a decade ago, the program attracts interns from across the country, including states as distant as Utah and Washington. Jillian attributes this wide reach to the program’s reputation: “I think that gives credit to the kind of internship that we have, that students are really searching for something that fits their interest and their needs.”
The nine-month internship involves a structured schedule where interns gradually take on a caseload of 20 to 25 patients. They engage in various music therapy interventions, learn about the philosophy of end-of-life care, and collaborate closely with Gilchrist’s interdisciplinary team. The program culminates in a final project where interns present a case study and an original song reflecting their journey. Jillian describes the conclusion of the internship as a significant milestone: “Our students get to experience a very in-depth internship. We believe they are ready for the professional world once they complete their program. It’s definitely something to celebrate.”
A Harmonious Future
As Gilchrist celebrates over thirteen years of its Music Therapy Program, the organization remains dedicated to providing life-affirming services that ensure patients have the best possible quality of life. Jillian’s journey and the stories she shares demonstrate the transformative power of music in hospice care. Through the dedication of therapists like Jillian and the support of programs like the internship initiative, Gilchrist continues to bring comfort, joy, and healing to those they serve.
For more information about Gilchrist’s Music Therapy Program or to support their services, please visit their website: https://gilchristcares.org/