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our services

What is  Music Therapy?

Music therapy is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets – physical, emotional, mental, social, cultural, aesthetic and spiritual to help people improve or maintain their health. We make music together in a safe and motivating environment. Through this process, strengths that may go unseen are revealed and our therapists help our clients understand these strengths. Music is used to connect with clients, reveal possibilities and make their lives better.

Therapist  Qualifications

Music therapists are highly trained professionals who have completed a four-year degree in music therapy or an equivalent program, followed by a 6-9 month AMTA-approved internship. They must also pass the Board Certification Exam in Music Therapy to earn the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist–Board Certified). To maintain this credential, music therapists engage in ongoing continuing education, ensuring they stay current with the latest research and practices.

Many music therapists pursue advanced education, such as master’s degrees or specialized training in music therapy or related fields, further enhancing their skills and expertise. This rigorous preparation equips them to support clients effectively in specialized situations.

In Connecticut, we have advocated and achieved licensure for music therapists.  This protects consumers by ensuring that all individuals providing this essential service are board-certified and qualified to practice. 

Everyone on the CTMTS team is Board Certified via the Certification Board for Music Therapists and Licensed through the State of Connecticut Department of Health (add hyperlinks).

Who do we help

Our music therapy private practice provides services for individuals and groups with developmental and mental health needs, spanning all ages—from babies to children to  older adults. We offer sessions both in our clinic and at onsite locations, focusing on fostering growth, communication, and emotional well-being through music.

Where

In our Watertown Clinic, Onsite or through Telehealth.

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Our Process

Music is inherently structured and it provides ample opportunities for open-ended, independent, interactive, creative, and successful participation. Because of this, music therapy is used to help individuals of all ages and abilities to work on communication skills, fine and gross motor coordination, sensory processing, cognitive/academic skills, self-help skills, social skills and emotional wellbeing. Each individual is assessed by the music therapist to determine specific areas of need and goals and objectives. Musical experiences (i.e. learning songs, songwriting, instrument playing, creative movement, etc.) are then co-created to specifically address each of these areas of need with a focus on the musical styles, songs and experiences that they prefer. No previous musical training or skill is necessary to participate in music therapy. The client is always central to the music, experiences and pacing of the sessions.

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Individual Services

We provide in-home or in-clinic services to individuals with a wide range of needs.  Whether you are looking for services for your child or loved one, or for yourself, we can support people with a wide range of needs, for example, autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, NVLD, sensory impairment, and more.

Wellness and Mental Health

Music therapy can be an effective opportunity to reduce your stress, develop coping strategies and process difficult emotions and experiences.  In-office or telehealth sessions are available to support you.

School-Based Services

School-Based Services

We offer individual and group services to learners in public and private schools, PreK-12 and beyond.  We can support students through educational enrichment, IEP-based services, Extended School Year (ESY) programs.  We offer educational consultation as well as assessments, including the SEMTAP.

Day Programs and Group Homes

We provide onsite music therapy to adults who participate in day programs, or in their residences.  Our clients enjoy the benefits of creative, social opportunities to connect with their peers, as well as supporting both leisure, communication, cognitive and motor skills.

Music Therapy For Older Adults

We provide onsite music therapy to adults who participate in day programs, or in their residences.  Our clients enjoy the benefits of creative, social opportunities to connect with their peers, as well as supporting both leisure, communication, cognitive and motor skills.

Guided Imagery and Music

Based in the Bonny Method of GIM and it’s adaptations, music is used as a resource and co-therapist to support clients to connect with and travel on their inner-journeys of growth, healing and integration.

Gender-Affirming Voicework (GAV)

Liberatory Music Therapy Model of Gender Affirming Voicework (LMT-GAV) is a model of voicework situated in the music therapy scope of practice that supports individuals in developing more euphoric voice habits in both spoken voice and singing

Consultations

Existing programs can enhance their offerings by including music. We can meet with schools, teachers, parents, therapists and leaders and provide music strategies that will be the best fit for your new or existing program.

In-service Training

Your staff will benefit from our presentations tailored to the needs of your group. Whether the topic is of the power of music, specific inclusion strategies in the music education environment, or team building experiences, everyone will walk away with information that they can immediately apply in their work.

Guest Lectures and Keynotes

Our CEO, Jennifer Sokira, is a dynamic speaker and captivating storyteller, ready to bring energy and insight to your next conference or event. With expertise in trauma, trauma-informed care, leadership, music therapy small business, and ethics, Jennifer delivers thought-provoking presentations tailored to inspire and empower diverse audiences.

Continued Education

Through our sister company, EnlightenCE, we offer in-person and self-study courses available upon request. EnlightenCE also provides a comprehensive certificate program in trauma-informed music therapy.

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Karen Mattera, MT-BC

Staff Music Therapist

Karen is delighted to join the talented team of music therapists at Connecticut Music Therapy Services. A certified teacher with more than twenty years of experience in Connecticut public schools, she has taught music across all elementary grade levels. Her background includes directing choirs, ukulele and Orff ensembles, and designing curriculum for comprehensive K–5 music programs. Karen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Western Connecticut State University and her Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She later completed her Music Therapy Equivalency Degree through Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. In her work, Karen takes a relationship-centered approach, striving to understand each client’s world—their interests, passions, and the music that brings them joy.

Danielle Visingardi, MT-BC

Staff Music Therapist

Danielle is a board-certified music therapist with a bachelors (2023) and masters (2025) in music therapy. Danielle approaches her work with a strengths- and relationship-based framework, wherein music is used to facilitate the development and maintenance of health and wellbeing as it relates to her therapy participants. She has experience working with therapy participants across the life span, representing strengths and needs in musical, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual areas. Danielle has worked with individuals with autism, Down’s syndrome and other genetic disorders, ADHD, mental health diagnoses, Alzheimer and dementia, epilepsy disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and with individuals transitioning within the criminal justice system. Danielle is particularly interested in fostering healthy relationships between her clients and the communities in which she serves them attained  through greater connection and respect via community-minded and client-centered music therapy services. 

Staff Music Therapist

Ani Ballester, MMT, MT-BC (any pronoun) became a board-certified music therapist in 2020 after graduating with a Bachelor of Music Therapy from Drury University. Two years later, they earned their Master of Music Therapy from Colorado State University. Although Ani has experience with a wide variety of clientele in settings like schools, psychiatric facilities, and private homes, much of their work is focused on serving Autistic communities. An openly Autistic therapist herself, she uses her master degree focus on neurologic music therapy and disability justice centered approach to help clients use their neurodivergence as a strength. Ani is also proud and invigorated by the opportunity to offer Gender Affirming Voicework. He believes that the best tools to reach our goals is by embracing and empowering our most authentic selves. Serving the neurodivergent community, trans and gender non-conforming community, and any person or group who seeks compassion and strength in their lives is where his work finds its greatest fulfilment.

Staff Music Therapist

Kaylynn Schachner (they/she) is a music therapist practicing the Liberatory Music Therapy model of Gender Affirming Voicework (LMT-GAV), serving diverse voices remotely from her home in occupied Shawanwaki/Shawnee and Osage land (colonially referred to as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Kaylynn received a Masters in Music Therapy from Slippery Rock University in 2023 and has been board-certified since 2020. Before becoming a music therapist, she was a singer-songwriter, vocal director, and guitar & voice teacher, so her sessions are scaffolded by artistry, creativity, collaboration, and person-centered pedagogy. Kaylynn leans into various music therapy methods (improvisation, song re-creation, etc.) and narrative therapy with a psycho-social-somatic perspective on trauma and healing. As a researcher, Kaylynn is interested in the embodied lives of trans folx, singer-songwriters broadly, and trans singer-songwriters in particular, and how these groups find and build communities of resistance. In her free time she enjoys gratuitously long walks with her dog Loki, reading, playing video games, and painting.

Staff Music Therapist

Mac Brown, MT-BC (they/them) is a board certified music therapist who has worked with a variety of clients ranging from infants to seniors. Mac has worked with clients in a variety of settings including the office, schools, group homes, nursing homes, mental health and rehab facilities, and clients homes. Their clinical background includes working with adults and children with autism and other developmental disorders, teens with mental health and addiction challenges, as well as seniors with dementia. Mac received their bachelors degree in Music Therapy from Montclair State University.

Staff Music Therapist

Tess Sandler, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist who earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from the State University of New York in Fredonia. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with a wide range of cognitive, physical, and emotional challenges. This includes individuals with developmental & intellectual disabilities, dementia, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments, speech impairments, and medical complexities. Tess utilizes a humanistic approach with her clients to help them reach their goals. 

Coordinator of gender affirming voicework, Staff Music Therapist

Braedyn Inmon, MMT, MT-BC (they/he) has been a board-certified music therapist since 2016. After graduating from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX, Braedyn has primarily worked as a music therapist in hospice, long term care and neuro-rehabilitation settings supporting disabled adults in both individual and group sessions, with some experience offering community-based group programming for developmentally disabled adults. Additionally, they have experience conducting psychoeducational groups in community-based mental health centers as a mental health professional. Since 2019, Braedyn has been in the process of completing their Masters in Music Therapy with an endorsement in Counseling from Slippery Rock University. Their studies have focused on finding their clinical identity within the Resource Oriented Music Therapy paradigm, incorporating counseling micro-skills and music psychotherapy techniques into their current work with clients, and developing the gender affirming voicework approach with their colleague & peer Maevon Gumble, MMT, MT-BC. Braedyn is excited to offer gender affirming voicework as well as community music therapy programming to clients in Connecticut, with a particular interest in fostering community for trans and gender nonconforming people across the lifespan.

Community Outreach Coordinator, Staff Music Therapist

Leah Muller, MA, MT-BC (she/her) is a Board Certified Music Therapist, who received her Masters Degree in Music Therapy  and Bachelor’s degree in Disability & Community Services, with a concentration in Special Education and Social Work. Leah has extensive clinical music therapy experience working with individuals of all ages in school settings (developmental disabilities, Autism, etc), intensive medical care (stroke, TBI, etc), adolescent residential rehabilitation, hospice, and dementia care.

Leah’s work is rooted in compassion and patience, with an emphasis on supporting client strengths and abilities to achieve their goals.

In her free time, Leah enjoys leading her church worship band, hiking with her husband, and drinking an iced latte!

Clinical Coordinator and Music Therapist

Heidi Tierney, MA, MT-BC (she/her) is a Board Certified Music Therapist, holding a Bachelors degree in Music Education with a concentration in Music in Special Education and Percussion. She earned her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Music Therapy. Heidi has worked closely in the field of education, specializing in therapeutic and residential school settings. Heidi’s work is founded in person centered and strengths based  approaches, developing each client’s unique strengths to support their challenges. She has worked extensively with adolescents and their families, specializing in Trauma and co-occurring disorders including depression,  attachment disorders, anxiety, ADHD, addiction, psychotic disorders and developmental needs.  Heidi currently serves a broad range of clientele spanning across all ages and including individuals with Autism, intellectual and memory care needs. Heidi holds certifications in Neurologic Music Therapy and trauma treatment therapies such as ARC, SMART, EMDR level 1, and My Life My Choice. Her previous experience in greater Boston as a residential program administrator has informed her approach that places value on integrating caregiving systems and community into an individual’s treatment.  Notably, she has presented her research of Community Music Therapy and the therapeutic benefits of music performance at conferences across the country.

Assistant Director & Music Therapist

Since 2015, Kelsy Moules, MBA, MT-BC (she/her) has happily been a member of the Connecticut Music Therapy Services team. With an undergraduate degree is music therapy from Anna Maria College and a Masters of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University, she uses her education and experience to inform her role as both a music therapist and administrator. Kelsy has had the joy of working with many people with a variety of needs and backgrounds, but, has specialty in working with older adults with developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Kelsy also has extensive experience working with preschool-aged children, particularly in school-based and group settings. Kelsy’s primary instrument is voice but she also plays the guitar, piano and trumpet. In her spare time, Kelsy enjoys spending time with her family, hiking and finding new coffee shops to try. 

Founder and CEO

Jennifer Sokira, MMT, LCAT, MT-BC (she/her) established CTMTS in 2005 and her current clinical work focuses on people who are healing from grief, trauma and PTSD using music psychotherapy methods. Jen is a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI) and she has completed Levels 1 and 2 of Brainspotting as well as advanced training in Complicated Grief Treatment. Founder of Connecticut Music Therapy Services, LLC, since 2005 she has created opportunities for thousands of individuals in Connecticut to receive quality music therapy services from skillful and caring music therapists. Notably, Jennifer was music therapist and Clinical Director of the Resiliency Center of Newtown where she provided music therapy and assisted with community programming and consultation for clients impacted by the 12/14/12 tragedy at Sandy Hook School from 2013-2020.

She is currently serving as Vice President of the American Music Therapy Association, and her past professional service includes tenure as a Past-President of the New England Region of the American Music Therapy Association, and nine years as an appointed member of the AMTA Ethics Board.

Jen’s advocacy for increased knowledge and training for healthcare professionals working with clients who have experienced trauma has lead to her to consulting, writing, teaching and presenting regionally, nationally and internationally on trauma-informed practice and disaster response. She serves on faculty for Alverno College’s Master of Music Therapy program, Southern Connecticut State University’s bachelor in music therapy program and Quinnipiac University’s music minor. She is also the co-owner and Director of Educational Programming for EnlightenCE.

Jennifer’s recent publications include Considerations For Music Therapy in Long-Term Response to Mass Tragedy and Trauma in Music Therapy Today The Resilience Framework for Trauma-Informed Music Therapy,  in Trauma-Informed Practice in Music Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide (Routledge) and “Music Therapy: An Opportunity to Support Older Adults Healing from Trauma” in the American Society on Aging’s Generations Magazine.  She is pursuing a doctorate in education (EdD) at Alverno College, and her dissertation research focuses trauma-informed care education in music therapy undergraduate curriculua.