My name is Haley!
I am a board-certified music therapist, practicing since 2016 primarily with children, teens, and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in school, home, adult day program, nursing homes, and clinical settings as well as at Wisdom Within Counseling.
When working with my clients, I believe that each person inherently knows themselves best, and may just need extra guidance and a little help to reach their goals.
Through guidance and support in the counseling relationship, I help children, teens, and couples to see and understand parts of themselves that they may have had difficulty sorting out before.
As a practicing music therapist, I have had the opportunity to work with all cultures and demographics, as music knows no boundaries when it comes to age or language, as it is a universal tool. As a music therapist, I use music to treat non musical goals, and encourage my clients that they inherently know themselves best. I strive to use empathy and understanding to make meaningful connections with my intent to create a safe space.
To begin, book your free phone consult below to work with Haley and gain positive coping strategies.
A majority of my work has been with children on the Autism spectrum, where I use music to make meaningful connections to meet the client where they are at in their world while working on goals in social and emotional areas.
Whether we listen to your favorite song, write a song, improvise on some instruments, or work on digital music creation, music can be an amazing tool. All ages can benefit from music in therapy sessions.
While certain areas of our brain are responsible for things like speech, motor skills, memory etc., our ENTIRE brain responds to music, and through music therapy, we can create new neural pathways and connections to enhance functioning in desired areas.
In sessions with me we can sit and talk, and you can use musical instruments to express intense emotions. We can’t always find the words, so sounds can be healing and expressive. Walking therapies outdoors and doing art in therapy are also great ways to lower anxiety.
Couples Counseling, Marital Therapy, and Meaningful Relationships
When working with couples, my top priority is to ensure that the couple finds their way back to what initially brought them together. Whether that be a specific moment or a feeling, remembering the core of who you are with your partner is important in moving forward and continuing to build a life together. Your personal identity is important to withhold in your romantic relationship. On that note, I enjoy aiding couples in navigating their own needs to best support themselves and inherently each other.
The relationship building blocks are comprised of areas such as communication, connection, empathy, intimacy and appreciation.
The main theme that I find among issues with couples is in the communication category. Importantly, you and your partner are taught how to communicate by those around you both, especially those who have raised you and were provided as your role models growing up.
You and your partner are a product of nature and nurture. Therefore, in couples counseling we focus on exploring communication patterns through your childhood and present day. This process of understand communication patterns can aid you and your partner in understanding why you then respond in a certain way to each other, and vice versa.
I am passionate about helping couples build closeness, connection, and effective communication tools.
Humans are creatures of habit who tend to gravitate towards patterns and logic. When we assume how our partner is going to respond to our interaction, we are not providing the room for growth in communication. Rather, you are your partner may feel stuck stepping into old patterns that may have served you in the past, but are no longer effective to this day.
Creating new, more effective communication patterns can occur when a third party is present in relationship counseling.
Learning positive communication skills can reduce criticism and improve bonding. In couples therapy, I can provide effective skills and emotional awareness tools to live in present moment.
As a couples therapist, my passion for helping couples in counseling stems from my genuine belief in the transformative power of healthy relationships. Witnessing the immense growth and healing that can occur when two individuals commit to improving their connection is truly inspiring.
I am driven by the profound joy that comes from guiding couples in therapy towards greater understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
The opportunity to witness couples rediscover their love and navigate through challenges together fuels my dedication to this work. I firmly believe that every relationship has the potential to thrive. And, I am honored to play a role in fostering that growth from communication to intimacy.
I love supporting couples in their journey towards creating a fulfilling, satisfying, playful, and harmonious partnership.
In addition to being at Wisdom Within Counseling, I work with children and adolescents as a Mental Health Worker in an inpatient psychiatric setting.
I love working with children, adolescents, and couples and providing creative therapeutic interventions to help with emotional exploration and growth.
I am also a 200 hour certified yoga teacher, incorporating yoga principles into my therapy practice.
Why I Help with Music Therapy
I believe that music is one of the greatest universal tools and means of communication. Utilizing music therapy to treat non-musical goals can aid the entire body and mind and help create meaningful connections within ourselves and others.
While I love using music as a tool, I want to deepen my understanding of therapeutic services and to further my skills that will continue to benefit clients of all background.
Why I love being a therapist
I love being a therapist when working with children, as I admire and encourage their exploration and imagination. Through creative arts and play, I believe children can explore their full potential and work towards their goals in an inventive way, while feeling supported in their creativity.
When working with teens, I love being a therapist that provides an open ear and welcoming environment. Sometimes teenagers can feel unheard by adults, and I enjoy providing the space for teens to feel comfortable exploring their experiences in a non-judgmental environment with someone who “gets it.”
My Favorite Quote:
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” – Gandhi
My Favorite Thing to Do on the Weekend:
On the weekends, I strive to be outside! My dog, Philly, and I take hikes whenever we can, and my family and I frequent walks to the beach in our community. If the weather is crummy, you can find me inside with a book and a cup of coffee!
One Fun Fact About Me:
I am a huge animal lover, especially dogs! My family and I often board dogs in our home, which is more self-care than work for me as I love to be with animals. I would love to hear all about your pets!
My Favorite Anxiety Coping Skill:
Breathing! Various breathing exercises and techniques can be helpful for anxiety. In yoga practice, we link our breath to our movement to create connection and beneficial energy flow in the body, aiding in the decrease of anxiety both immediately and preventatively. Breathing is something that we can practice outside of yoga, with various breathing techniques that are targeted to different areas of need.
