About Peyton!

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Meet Peyton, a child and teen therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling.

Hi, I’m Peyton! I am a child and teen therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling. I love using music and other expressive therapies to support anxious teens and depressed adolescents.

Other Areas I specialize in include:

To begin, click the button below for a phone consult to work with a child and teen therapist.

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Trauma Therapy

I use a trauma-centered approach in the therapeutic space. I believe that trauma experiences are held in your body. Sometimes, after trauma, you may feel paralyzed or frozen. This way, music therapy can create a huge impact on people and supports developing an awareness and tolerance for PTSD triggers. Coping skills to manage trauma triggers are very important. I teach adolescents and adults positive, sensory coping skills enhance the mind-body connection. Sensory and somatic skills aid in regulating the body and provide something else to focus on when experiencing uncomfortable, difficult feelings and trauma symptoms, such as anxiety, dissociation, hyper-vigilance and depressive symptoms. Sensory and body connection skills include soft poppers, kinetic sand, reversible sequins and slime. Other skills you can experience include progressive muscle relaxation, as well as using the painting, clay, arts, and drawing. 

I am also Reiki 2 certified and enjoy bringing in energy healing, mindfulness and meditation to sessions. I also enjoy utilizing the outdoors and walking in session to enhance connection with oneself and nature. Nature therapies are healing for depression. We could go for an outdoor walk and talk session and notice the music of the birds chirping.

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a therapeutic specialty that incorporates using music in order to meet non-musical goals in a being a safe and contained way. This technique provides a creative and expressive space to aid in making therapy feel even a little more comfortable and fun. Music can be used in a variety of different ways, such as songwriting, lyric analysis, active listening or active playing and improvisation, to help with self-expression and coping with symptoms. 

Music used in this expressive way can help make therapy feel more comfortable by using non-verbal communication within the therapy space. More so, music is a way to express how you’re feeling without having to explicitly say it. Sometimes, talking is easy, but when talking is hard, music can be a way to let go. Music therapy provides a sense of not feeling so alone in what you’re experiencing. Because of this, music therapy can be used with all needs and ages!

Another music therapy tool that provides adolescents with a sense of self, self-expression, coping skills and independence is songwriting.

Songwriting incorporates your adolescent’s favorite music and personal musical experiences. Music therapy and songwriting can be improvisational, freestyle and even come from journal entries your teen brings into counseling. In music therapy, freedom, choice, and confidence help adolescents and teenagers choose how they would like to participate. Songwriting could be a whole counseling session or it can be ten minutes of one session.

Music in a counseling setting gives anxious adolescents and young adults a sense of relaxation, trust, leadership, and self-control.

I provide the choice to start with lyrics or instrumentation, as well as what kind of instrumentation (electronic, drums, or live instruments). The process of songwriting can provide a holistic method and safe place to process trauma or any struggles you or your teenager may be experiencing. Playing musical instruments becomes a source of self-expression, healthy coping skills and way to build patience. The songwriting process can be lengthy at times and take multiple sessions depending on how long your adolescent would like the song/s to be. Mindfulness in music therapy provides a sense of grounding and space to breathe through any struggles and emotionally regulate.

My goal is for these expressive skills learned in session to be translated outside of counseling and to be a tool for young adults to handle stress and anger by self-soothing.

As a child and teen therapist, I support individuals in making music playlists that match their moods. When working with teenagers in my internship and previous jobs, as well as with adults, I loved helping create playlists to match certain sad, heartbroken, or happy moods. Using your adolescent’s favorite musicians helps build self-awareness to how the artist feels. Teenagers enjoy relating to musicians and the feelings or moods they have. If your teenager is angry, sad, anxious, depressed, high energy, low energy and happy, we can make a music therapy playlist together to promote healthy coping tools.

Your adolescent may be struggling to identify what music that helps with calming moodiness. So, I like to provide options that I feel may be helpful and soothing. Children, teens and adults deeply benefit from music therapy and playlist building.

The Power of Singing

Another music therapy technique I enjoy to use as a child and teen therapist is singing. Anytime, anywhere, your most powerful instrument is your voice. I have felt how beneficial singing is for me in releasing stress and letting go. In music therapy, singing can be helpful during dysregulation and panic attacks as it soothes your nervous system. Also, with anxiety and depression, singing can be a positive coping skill and promote mind-body connection.

Singing and any type of vocalization, like chanting, or humming, can be beneficial for children, adolescents, and couples to connect back to themselves and provide a sense of playfulness.

Have you every used a sound bowls and chakra chanting vocalization? Well, we can try it and you can see how it feels. For many teenagers and adults with depression, exercise may not be possible. Therefore, playing a singing bowl, vocalizing, and singing supports motivation and self-esteem. As well, music therapy promotes positive coping tools and connection with your self through body sensations. You may feel you chest vibrating and that can be a mind-body tool.

Utilizing music and mindfulness together, as well as reiki and other holistic approaches, I enjoy helping children, teens and couples. I feel that there are many benefits to the combination of talking alongside music therapy skills. At Wisdom Within Counseling, our whole team practices in this holistic and creative, expressive therapeutic style.

What Does Music Therapy Look Like?

There are a variety of different music therapy interventions that I utilize within therapy sessions. If a client is experiencing high energy and anxiety symptoms, for example, active music playing and improvisation may be a helpful approach. The use of different instruments to explore and play can be helpful in channeling one’s energy into something active, while also using creative expression and focus on something else, which in turn can reduce anxiety symptoms. 

Who is Music Therapy For?

Music therapy can be used for all ages and needs due to the flexibility and diverse aspects of music itself.  If you, your child or partner are struggling with expressing emotions, processing trauma or communicating, music therapy can help with this. Music therapy can help us express, understand and build compassion during tough things that may otherwise be difficult to do.

If you don’t want to talk or struggle to talk when anxious, music can help. The non-verbal approach of music therapy can be helpful in treatment with children, teens, adults of all ages and couples. 

To begin, use the button below to book a phone consult to work with Peyton.

Do you have a distant adolescent or young adult and want connection? Here is a tip. One tip that can be helpful for this situation is to gather your adolescent’s and teen’s favorite music. Listen to music together when making dinner and let your teen be the DJ! If your adolescent or teenager is having a difficult time talking, use to music at home to promote opening up. Their favorite music can be used to provide a more comfortable space. Playing your adolescent’s favorite song can help you to relate them and hopefully help them confide in you.

Education and Training 

I received my bachelor’s degree in Audio Engineering and Music Production from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in May 2017. During undergrad I continued to explore my love for music, psychology and helping others. 

I then attended graduate school at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, receiving my masters in Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Music Therapy in May 2020. I am a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and also Reiki 2 certified. Additionally, I plan to pursue more trauma therapy training and training in Internal Family Systems, as well as the Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy Certification.

My Favorite…

Colors: Purple, Blue and Pink 

Shows: Bobs Burgers, Rick and Morty, New Girl, Greys Anatomy

Music Artists: Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks, Blink 182, Chelsea Cutler

Food: Pizza, any kind, any time of day, cold and hot 

Musical Genres: Pop, Dubstep, Experimental Bass, Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative, Soul

Animals: Dogs, Butterflies, Unicorns, Mermaids, Dolphins, Lions, Wolves

To begin, click the button below for a phone consult to work with Peyton.