A New Westminster society providing care for grieving families through counseling and song, hopes increased awareness of their music therapy programs will help to better inform the public of the art’s healing attributes.
The Camp Kerry Society provides support services for families who have experienced a loss, often through the form of family retreats. This past fall, the society, which was founded in 2007, expanded their services to offer two new community-based programs in partnership with Douglas College – the Mindfulness Stress Reduction program and the Camp Kerry Choir program. Dr. Heather Mohan, register music therapist and founder of Camp Kerry Society, describes the programs as a way to help teach attendees how to better cope with their emotions during difficult life transitions.
In addition to the society’s choir program, Camp Kerry is also offering monthly drop-in sessions at their Sapperton consignment store, Kerry’s Boutique, for those interested in trying out music therapy.
“It’s all about people coming together in a supportive environment where they can use singing in a group as a means for stress relief and community support,” Mohan said.
Last month, the society received $15,000 in funding from Music Heals, a foundation that promotes music therapy awareness. Mohan said part of the funding the group received will go towards supporting their community choir programs as well as their team of accredited music therapists.
“I could go on about what the music does … people have a lot of emotional connections to music and so when they’re grieving, music can be a very powerful way to express the range of feelings they’re going through,” she said.
This year, Health Canada deemed March as Music Therapy Awareness Month – a move Mohan hopes will prompt the federal government to put more money into music therapist positions and alleviate any skepticism the public may have about music therapy’s legitimacy.
“People are still trying to understand it. ‘Are you an entertainer? Are you a therapist? Can I trust you with my problems, or are you just going to sing to me? It’s a novel concept for some people in terms of how it helps.” Mohan said.
An info session for Camp Kerry’s community choir program’s upcoming spring session beginning May 5 will take place on March 19, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Kerry’s Boutique.
