Hey there!
I’m Gaby.
Developmental Disabilities
Interpersonal Relationships
Self-Acceptance and Expression
Professional Philosophy
We are continuously growing and learning about ourselves and the world. Change seems like the only constant experience and brings new perspectives, insights, and opportunities.
While creative arts may seem like a distant realm, it is one of the most accessible means of expression, especially when we seek a means of processing the changes in our lives and in ourselves. What makes music accessible is that it is already within each of us; it’s just a matter of how we access it and what that looks like to us individually and collectively. What does the music we listen to and create say about who we are? How much can music hold our emotions? What does that look like? What can that look like for me? A music-centered mindset looks at each beat, rhythm, pitch, and tone of our singing, playing, listening, and composition in music with full thoughtfulness and compassion. The goal: to create a rich sense of self and community that resonates with us the most.
““Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.”
― Natasha Bedingfield
Personal Background
Music has been at the core of my most meaningful life experiences. I grew up in a music-centered family, with gatherings centering around singing favorite songs, playing music on a variety of instruments, doing “concerts,” and composing songs with my cousins (amongst other familial/cultural endeavors). I found that I was able to connect with the people I loved most, those across multiple generations and different cultural upbringings, through an expressive and creative medium. After engaging in similar experiences with my friends in high school, I knew I had to find a profession that would continue to foster this enriching sense of communal expression and support in music. Through relationship-based, music therapy work, my goal is to promote that same support in self and community that I found in my own home and encourage others to find what that looks like for them in their day to day.
AREAS OF FOCUS
All of us here at START address the mental health areas of stress, trauma, and anxiety in our practice. We apply these three topics to unique, specific challenges that our clients are going through. I also offer specialized areas in the following areas:
Developmental Disabilities and Neurodivergent Individuals
Music therapy can provide a structured yet flexible space for those to explore a means of communication and expression within their own creativity. Music-centered and play-therapy methods can promote a sense of acceptance within one’s own interests while developing a sense of autonomy by creating a strong interpersonal relationship fostered by following the client/patient’s lead.
Self-Acceptance and Expression
Music therapy is an expressive outlet that can be utilized with and without words. This provides the opportunity to express oneself in a variety of ways: lyrically, vocally, instrumentally, receptively, and so on. By exploring our identities through a creative medium, we can learn and grow in our own unique way that is authentic to who we are and who we want to continue to be.
Community and Resource-Oriented Work
With the arts stemming from culture, community music therapy can encourage a stronger sense of support within communal spaces by building self-expression and promoting collective unity through times of hardship and happiness. By presenting resources that are accessible in communal spaces, one being music, community and resource-oriented approaches in music therapy consider each aspect of our lives, highlights our individual and collective identities, and advocates for health and wellness that reflects the needs of the communities we are a part of.
Interpersonal Relationships
Whether it be our relationship dynamics between siblings, parents, partners, friends, creative arts can be an outlet to strengthen those meaningful connections and address areas of need in an artistic way. It can be a challenge to understand the perspective of others who mean so much to us, especially if it’s the perspective of our loved ones. Through interactive and collaborative experiences in music, a deeper level of self-awareness, identifying strengths, and forming systems of support can continue to evolve and grow.