About Music Therapy

Music Therapy Group Classes

Meditation with Live Music

Experience an alternative mindfulness meditation experience with the presence of live music. Research shows that listening to live music during meditation may help focus an active mind, decrease heart rate, anxiety, and pain, and guide you to a deeper relaxation.

Individual Music Therapy Sessions

Music therapy is the clinical use of music as a tool to help treatment goals. Music therapy has been clinically shown to bring about positive changes in mood and increase quality of life by changing our awareness of pain, reducing anxiety, and supporting participants in developing positive coping skills. A music therapy session may include making music through songwriting or playing an instrument, or through music listening, such as in meditation with live music. The therapist may also share different ways you can use music and creativity in your own time to support your treatment goals.

Similar to talk therapy, an important part of music therapy is the guidance of a board-certified music therapist to engage in evidence-based practices, facilitate supportive discussion, and guide the experience overall. You and the music therapist will work together to develop a plan that is accessible, fun, and meets your personal interests and needs. No prior musical experience is required to benefit from music therapy services. Email the Zakim Center to schedule a session.

Heather Woods, MA, MT-BC

Heather Woods is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and professional musician in the Boston Area. In nearly 10 years as a clinician, she has gained extensive experience serving the mental health needs of diverse populations including pediatric and adult oncology patients, youth with life-threatening illnesses and HIV/AIDS, and trauma survivors. Heather draws on her professional musicianship and expertise in mindfulness to offer services that are creative, inclusive, and success oriented. Her clinical work is informed by anti-oppressive principles, acknowledges the impact of inequity on mental and physical health, and emphasizes cultivating self-trust, self-compassion, and agency in self-care decisions.

Heather completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music, graduating Summa Cum Laude from her graduate studies. She is currently completing coursework for her PhD at Temple University.