We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alison Hughey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alison below.

Alright, Alison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience moments when the entire field takes a U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down. And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there: now you’ve got an earworm from the town called Bel-Air! Music is a powerful stimulus, whether we read about it, hear it, or create it. As a board certified music therapist (MT-BC), I’m passionate about the many ways music can make the world a better place. Making music live with clients has long been the primary method I use in sessions. However, in the Spring of 2020, this had to shift due to Covid.
I work with many clients who are immunocompromised. Since singing and sharing musical instruments presented an increased risk of transmission, sessions shifted to Zoom. I had never offered virtual sessions, nor had many of my colleagues. While connection was still there, we weren’t able to make music together due to the audio latency involved in Zoom and similar programs.
Music therapists got creative during this time in meeting the needs of our clients. Many of us offered zoom sessions and outdoor music groups, and adapted for each session. A central part of music therapy is meeting the individual needs of clients where they are in the moment, along with honoring their musical preferences. However, none of us imagined we would face a pandemic.
In addition to pivoting to virtual music therapy sessions and outdoor music gatherings in 2020-2021, I began offering virtual groups focused on creativity and mental health. I explored my own personal relationship to creativity and my own mental health, and came up with an idea for a printed resource, the Creative and Curious Cards for Mental Wellness. I saw the importance of regular practices to tend to mental health, not just intervene when mental illness becomes an emergent concern. When I openly discussed these ideas and my own mental health with others, I became increasingly led to help fill in the gaps of options available in mental wellness. I received a grant from the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC to publish the Creative and Curious Cards, with the help of several other creatives, and began offering additional non-clinical wellness programs such as retreats and in person workshops.
As Willie Nelson sings, the life I love is making music with my friends. This road has taken me in many interesting, surprising directions, and has included a few u-turns along the way. I’m grateful for this journey as it continues to unfold!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Whether it be singing in the car with my husband on our road trips, making up songs for our dogs (Mila and Tater), facilitating music therapy sessions or virtual retreats, leading group singalongs, or performing with the Sally Rides, music is my jam (side note: I’m also a fan of song quotes and puns). My greatest passion is helping people connect and heal with compassion through our dearest mutual friend: Music.

Music can help us feel seen and heard, feel connected with strangers who like the same band, connect us through time to our history, connect us to our faith, and physically bring us together in listening to a performance or making music in a group.

A few years after graduating with a degree in music performance from Converse College in 2003, I experienced a back injury. I turned to an old friend to help me cope with the pain: Music. I found myself tapping out rhythms, humming, and singing to distract myself and find hope again. I soon met one of the first students in the newly established Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy program at Converse, and decided to return and complete the program.

Since earning my board certification (MT-BC) in 2010, I’ve continued to perform around upstate South Carolina while working as a music therapist in long term care, mental health, and community settings. I’ve collaborated on two published research studies on music and wellness for community mental health and long term care.

In 2018 I founded Carolina Music Therapy, my music therapy private practice based in Spartanburg, SC. In addition to offering clinical music therapy services and adaptive music lessons, I also share resources on music in self-care for mental health at Compose Your Self Care and offer creative self care workshops, retreats and “edutainment” talks.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think that therapeutic presence is an essential skill for music therapists (and all therapists in general). While initial training in music therapy degree programs includes clinical training to hone this skill, I believe that certain interpersonal skills are vital in this area. Listening skills, empathy, curiosity and creativity are important for therapeutic presence.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I initially started my career as a music therapist, I was hesitant to offer related non-clinical services such as workshops, teambuilding groups, retreats, or adapted music lessons since they weren’t necessarily “music therapy” in the clinical sense. After I started my private practice, I received inquiries for such services and realized there was a need. Instead of trying to stay in my “box” of clinical music therapy, I decided to offer these related services. While they are different, I have many strengths in experience and education as a music therapist which support these programs in unique ways. This year, I published the Creative and Curious Cards for Mental Wellness and hosted a new healing arts retreat program, Rock and Retreat, which concluded with a two day music and arts festival. I never would have imagined branching out in these ways when I was a new music therapist!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carolinamusictherapy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/composeyourselfcare
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/composeyourselfcare
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisondhughey
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Composeyourselfcare
• Other: Creative and Curious Cards: https://www.carolinamusictherapy.com/creativeandcurious

Image Credits
Headshot credit: Jessie Staska, Smiling Down Photography Artwork credit for Creative and Curious Cards: Bailie Studios