May Playlist Therapy 2015

Just made it with another playlist of songs I've been jammin' out to lately:

Playlist

May Playlist Therapy 2015

Highlights

- Track 2/ Unstoppable by Lianne La Havas

I'm a big fan on Lianne La Havas, and this song features her signature classy vocals but also an ethereal drone before it breaks into smooth beats and uplifting lyrics.

- Track 8/ Cecilia and the Satellite by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Apparently this Andrew McMahon dude was the frontman for Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and even wrote songs for the TV show Smash! I knew I liked him, and this song is my new summer anthem for when you're driving endlessly in breezy LA sunshine. 

- Track 15/ Hold Me by Janine and the Mixtape

One of my patients turned me onto Janine and the Mixtape. He was a dancer, and shared some of his choreography to this earnest and haunting track. I love the lyric: "Give me something good to feel"

Thanks for listening (literally)!

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Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and to celebrate I have compiled a list of songs that are inspired by the patients I work with everyday. As most of you may know, I am a Board Certified Music Therapist, and work at an acute psychiatric hospital specifically with adolescents and children. A lot of my patients are hospitalized for self-harm or suicide, and many of them have a history of trauma and abuse.
Because of their history and current fragile or labile state, I take great care and consideration in the music that I choose to present to them in therapy groups. My training allows me to be mindful of the music I bring in, opting for patient-preferred songs, but also filtering out those that might be triggering or overwhelming. However, my patients often identify with many of these songs, and ask for them persistently and repeatedly.
So for this month's playlist, I am featuring those songs that I probably shouldn't play for my patients. (Although in certain appropriate contexts, I have used them in group!) A lot of these songs feature themes of suicide, self-harm, and low self-worth. Use with caution!

Playlist

Mental Health Awareness

Highlights

- Songs About Self-harm

Bleeding Love (this one is here mostly for the imagery)
Cough Syrup
Hurt
The First Cut is the Deepest (also imagery)
Knives and Pens

- Songs About Suicide or Death

Killing Me Softly
Grenade
Adam's Song
Worth Dying For
Suicidal Thoughts
If I Die Young
Born to Die

- Songs About Feeling "Crazy"

Basket Case

Crazy
Insane in the Brain
Institutionalized
Rehab

Thanks for listening (mentally aware)!

Be sure to Follow Me on Spotify and Facebook