Morganton, NC

Clients Served
Setting(s): Inpatient psychiatric unit, Geriatric psychiatric unit
Population(s): Mental health, Elderly persons
Age Range: Adolescent-old adult

Facility Characteristics
Music therapy at Broughton Hospital is eclectic, providing highly individualized treatment in small groups or individual sessions using behavioral, psychodynamic, psychosocial, cognitive, client-centered, and transpersonal approaches.

Broughton Hospital serves the 35 westernmost counties of North Carolina, providing in-patient psychiatric services to citizens between the ages of 12 to 90+. As a state facility with a largely rural catchment area, many of our clients are from a lower SES who do not have alternatives in their community, or have used up whatever coverage they may have had to access such treatment.

Broughton has a capacity of approximately 600 beds, but the average daily census runs between 450-500. We are divided into 6 treatment divisions, including: Admissions, Geropsychiatry, Extended Care, Adolescent, Rehabilitation and Med/Surg. We have recently added a deaf unit. Just over half of our total census is age 50 or over and could be considered SPMI.

Music Therapy is one component of the Creative/Expressive Art Therapies Department. CEA Therapies is part of Therapeutic Recreation which, in turn, is part of the 50 person Rehabilitation Therapy Services. This group of services includes Therapeutic Recreation and its leisure component, Occupational Therapy, Work Therapy and Youth Activities Program. Other hospital Services include psychotherapy, neuropsychological testing, pharmacotherapy, social services, nutritional assessments, speech and language, adaptive equipment, pet therapy, horticulture and Vocational Rehabilitation.

Training
Interns have the opportunity to observe, experience, and apply a wide variety of techniques including music-enhanced relaxation training, guided imagery structured by new age and classical music, Orff instrumental activities, music improvisation with individuals and groups, and affective expressions through singing, instruments, and movement.

Underlying the whole program is the belief in the power of the musical experience and of music itself to promote healing. A procedure for music therapy assessment using instrumental improvisation is learned and mastered for various client types. An important feature of the internship is the opportunity for self-exploration. Interns are encouraged to examine continuously their own behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in order to facilitate personal and professional growth. Opportunities are also provided for communication with other professionals and interns through on-site visits and through state and regional meetings.

A major strength of this internship is its diversity, both in the populations served and the multi-arts make up of the CEA Therapies Department. CEA Therapies consists of 3 RMT's, 1DTR (Dance/Movement Therapist), 1 Visual Arts Specialist, 1 Drama Specialist, 1 music specialist and a patient librarian overseeing library services. Each staff in CEA provides individual, small and large group services, some based upon individualized discipline assessments, while others are more diversional in nature and address issues relating to the quality of life.

The intern would have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities for personal and professional growth, through the hospital's staff development department., our medical lecture series, doctoral psychology seminars, or through the classes/workshops offered by the network of our area healthcare providers.

The intern would have the opportunity to work with the other disciplines within CEA Therapies. Therefore, an openness and willingness to develop every creative facet is essential, as is the willingness to be a process rather than a product.

Essentials
Starting Months: January, April, July, October
Housing: Provided
Meals: Not provided
Stipend: $0.00

Clinical Training Director
Broughton Hospital
Laura Pope, MT-BC
1000 South Sterling St
Morganton, NC 28655
Phone: (828) 433-2389

Record last modified: July 19, 2006