Dr. Laurel Young, PhD, MTA

Education

• PhD in Music Therapy, Temple University
• Master of Music Therapy, Wilfrid Laurier University
• Bachelor of Music Therapy, Wilfrid Laurier University
• Bachelor of Music (piano), Mount Allison University

Professional affiliations

• Professional Member, l’Association québécoise de musicothérapie
  
• Music Therapist Accredited (MTA #0169) Canadian Association of Music Therapists
  
• Music Therapy, Psychothérapeute (N⁰ de permis 61453-15)
• Fellow, Association for Music & Imagery
• Associate Director, engAGE, Concordia's Centre for Research on Aging
• Member, Concordia's Arts in Health Research Collective (ARHC)
  
• Research Member, CREGÉS
• Research Member, PERFORM
  

Research interests / expertise

• Works in both qualitative and quantitative paradigms.
• Singing and Health/Well being
• Assessment
• Aging, Dementia Care, Palliative Care, and Bereavement
  
• The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery & Music
  
• Music Therapy Advocacy, Scope of Practice, Training, & Supervision
  

Clinical practice experience

• Palliative Care; Grief and Bereavement
  
• Geriatrics/Dementia
• Autism
  
• Community Music Therapy (various populations including cancer, HIV, persons with developmental and/or physical disabilities, adult mental health)
• Individual and Group Bonny Method Guided Imagery & Music Sessions

Theoretical orientation

• Eclectic but influenced by humanistic, analytical, and music centred approaches. Integral theory.
  

Honours / awards / grants

• 2017: Regular member of research supported by: Réseaux thématiques du FRQS. Gagnon P (Directeur),Savard J (Co-directrice), Gauthier L (Co-directeur), DumontS (Co-directeur), Cohen R (Co-directeur) Réseau québécois de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie (RQSPFV).
• 2016: Team co-investigator on CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grant (T. Sussman and S. Kaasalainen, Co-PIs): Working Together to Support a Palliative Approach in Long-Term-Care: A Pan Canadian Initiative
• 2015: Raschkowan Creative Arts Therapies Outreach Award. To support research.
• 2014: Research and Publications Award from the Canadian Association for Music Therapy. Awarded to no more than one individual per year for contributions made to the field of music therapy through research or publications.
• 2011: Award from Temple University for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Music Therapy
• 2011: Inaugural Outstanding Graduate Award from Wilfrid Laurier University. Awarded to a former WLU MMT graduate who has gone on to make significant contributions to the field of music therapy.

Teaching / course offerings

• Music Therapy Improvisation 602
• Music Therapy Improvisation 603
• Music Therapy Advanced Practicum 623
• Music Therapy Practicum (I) 510
• Music Therapy Practicum (II) 511
• Music Therapy Research Thesis 699
• Creative Arts Therapies Research 691
  

Presentations/Speaking Engagements: Invited or Peer-reviewed

October 2017: Presented two papers at the International Humanizing Healthcare Conference hosted by Bruyère in Ottawa, Ontario: “The Integral Role of Music and the Music Therapist in Dementia Care” and “Examining Lived Experiences of Singing in a Bereavement Support Music Therapy Group.”

June 2017: Coordinated Research Symposium for the 24th International Association for Music & Imagery conference in Montreal, Quebec. Also presented: “Client Experiences in Postlude Discussions in Guided Imagery and Music” and “Predictors of Client Responsiveness to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music.”

May 2017: Presented paper at the 43^rd Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy in Vancouver, British Columbia: “The Integral Role of Music in Dementia Care: Knowledge, Assumptions, and the Need for Professional Leadership.”

March 2017: Presented paper at the Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of the American Association for Music Therapy in Rochester, New York: “Personalized Music Listening Programs for Persons with Dementia: Knowledge, Assumptions, & Professional Leadership.

October 2016: Part of a panel presentation on “Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Care in Long-Term Care (SPA-LTC): Strategies that Trigger Action, Improve

Communication and Promote Sustainable Change” at the 45^th Annual Scientific and Educational meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology held in Montréal, Québec.

October 2016: Presented proffered paper at the 21st International Congress on Palliative Care in Montréal, Québec: “Examining Lived Experiences of Singing in a Bereavement Support Music Therapy Group.”

June 2016: Invited speaker at Symposium on Music Therapy, Neurodiversity, and Autism at New York University. Paper: "A Singing Group for Autistic

Adults: Results & Implications for Research and Practice.”

May 2016: Co-presented paper with music therapist Adrienne Pringle at the 42^ndAnnual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy in Waterloo,Ontario: “Examining Lived Experiences of Singing in a Bereavement Support Music Therapy Group.”

May 2016: Co-presented paper with Dr. Sandi Curtis at the 42^nd Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy in Waterloo, Ontario: “Research for Music Therapists in the Real World.”

May 2016: Invited presenter at Annual CREGÉS Symposium held at l’Université de Montréal: “Ageing and Communicating in a Digital World.” Co-presenting workshop/paper: “The Soundtrack of Life: Developing Quality Personalized Music Listening Programs for Residents with Advanced Dementia.”

March 2016: Invited panel participant at the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association Conference, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Listening Programs for Older Adults: An Overview of Current Practice Inside and Outside of Music Therapy.”

November 2015: Co-presented paper with music therapist Adrienne Pringle at the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) 65^th Annual Conference held in Kansas City, Missouri: “Examining Lived Experiences of Singing in a Bereavement Support Music Therapy Group.”

November 2015: Participated in panel discussion at the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) 65^thAnnual Conference held in Kansas City, Missouri: “Music Therapy Goals Can Be Understood Musically, Too!” Chosen to be part of the AMTA-Pro podcast series.

October 2015: Presented paper as part of Symposium: “Implementing a Palliative Approach in Long-Term Care Settings: Challenges, Opportunities and Suggested Responses” at the 44^th Annual Scientific and Educational meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology held in Calgary, Alberta. Paper: “The Integral Role of Music and of the Music Therapist in Dementia Care.”

July 2015: Co-presented paper with Dr. Guylaine Vaillancourt at the 23^nd International Association for Music & Imagery Conference in Newark, New Jersey: ”GIM: To Be or Not to Be Psychotherapy.”

May 2015: Invited “Focus on Canada” keynote speaker at the 41^st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy to be held in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s All Good! Embracing Diverse & Emergent Approaches in Music Therapy.”

May 2015: Co-chaired panel discussion with Dr. Heidi Ahonen on “Music Therapy Scope of Practice in Canada” at the at the 41^st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy held in Calgary, Alberta.

April 2015: Invited guest speaker at Brams: International laboratory for brain, music, and sound research in Montreal. “The Integral Role of Music in Dementia Care.”

March 2015: Presented paper at Creative Arts Therapies Awareness Symposium held at Concordia University:“Singing to Promote Health/Wellbeing for Adults with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.”

November 2014: Presented paper at the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) 64^thAnnual Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky: “The Integral Roles of Music Therapy and the Music Therapist in Dementia Care.”

October 2014: Invited keynote speaker for the Atlantic Association of Music Therapy Annual Conference. Held at Acadia University in Wolfville,Nova Scotia: “It’s All Good! Embracing Diverse & Emergent Approaches in Music Therapy.”

July 2014: Invited Spotlight Speaker at the World Congress of Music Therapy held in Krems, Austria: “One Canadian Music Therapist’s Perspectives on Clinical Practice.”

July 2014: Presented paper at the 14^th World Congress of Music Therapy held in Krems, Austria: “Singing to Promote Health/Wellbeing for Adults with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.”

June 2014: Panel facilitator and presenter at the International Association for Music & Medicine Conference to be held in Toronto, Ontario: “Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS)”; my portion,  “Singing to Promote Health/Wellbeing for Adults with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.”

June 2014: Presented poster at the International Association for Music &Medicine Conference to be held in Toronto, Ontario: “Singing to Promote Health/Wellbeing for Adults with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.”

June 2014: Presented poster at the 40^th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy to be held in Toronto, Ontario: “Singing to Promote Health/Wellbeing for Adults with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.”

June 2014: Presented paper at the 40^th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy to be held in Toronto, Ontario: “The Integral Roles of Music Therapy and the Music Therapist in Dementia Care.”

November 2013: Presented paper at the 2012Conference of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) conference in Jacksonville, Florida: “The Use of Singing to Promote Health and Well Being for Adults with High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.”

August 2013: Poster at 5^th Annual Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS) Annual Conference and General Meeting to be held at the Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada: “The Use of Singing to Promote Health and Well Being for Adults with High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.”

June 2013: Paper at the 22^nd International Association for Music &Imagery Conference in Burnaby, British Columbia: Reflections on Current and Future GIM Clients.”

May 2013:Paper at the 39^th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: “The Use of Singing to Promote Health and Well Being for Adults with High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.”

October 2012: Paper at the 2012 Conference of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) conference in St. Charles, Illinois: “Client experiences in postlude discussions in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM).”

October 2012: Facilitated a full day continuing education workshop at the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) conference in St. Charles, Illinois:“Self-Supervision for Music Therapy Internship Supervisors.”

August 2012: Poster at Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS)Annual Conference and General Meeting held at the University of P.E.I.: “Singing and Health: A Research Initiative at the Centre for Arts In Human Development (CAHD) at Concordia University.”

Selected publications / works of interest

• Young, L. (2017). Editor and contributing author. ResearchSymposium Proceedings
  

  for the 24th International Conference of the Association for Music &Imagery held at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.

• Young, L. (2017, February 11). Challenging assumptions abouthow music helps [Blog post for Oxford University Press]. Available at https://blog.oup.com/2017/02/challenging-assumptions-how-music-helps/

• Sussman, T., Kaasalainen, S., Mintzberg, S.,Sinclair, S., Young, L., Ploeg, J… McKee, M. (2017). Broadening the purview of comfort to improvepalliative care practices in Long-Term Care (LTC). Canadian Journal on Aging, 36(3).

• Young, L. (2016). Developmentof the Responsiveness to Guided Imagery and Music Scale. Journal of the Association for Music & Imagery, 15.
  

• Young, L. (2016). Multicultural musical competence in music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, doi: 10.1093/mtp/miw016

• Baker, F. & Young, L. (2016). The relationship between research and practice. In B.L. Wheeler & K. Murphy (Eds.), Music therapy research (Third Edition). Dallas, Texas: Barcelona.

• Alter, D.,Sivarajah, S., Freedman, C. , Ahonen, H., Young, L., & Marzolini, S. (2015).The relationship between music, exercise, self-reported health, and health behaviours among cardiac rehabilitation patients. Music and Medicine, 7(1), 8-16. 
• Gross, E.& Young, L. (2014). Canadian music therapists’ perspectives on the current state of music therapy as a profession in Canada. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 20(2), 102-133·     
  
• Young, L. (2013). Persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In L. Eyre (Ed.), Guidelines for music therapy practice in mental health (pp. 952–1013). Gilsum, NH:Barcelona.      
• Young, L. (2013). Musical autobiography. In K. Kirkland (Ed.), International dictionary of music therapy (pp.84–85).  New York: Routledge.·      
• Young, L. (2013). Musical life review. In K. Kirkland (Ed.), International dictionary of music therapy (p. 86). New York:Routledge. 
• Young, L. (2013). Music psychotherapy. In K. Kirkland (Ed.), International dictionary of music therapy, (p. 82). New York:Routledge.
• Young, L. (Ed.). (2013). Editor’s introduction. Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy: A Monograph Series, 8, n.p.  Gilsum, NH: Barcelona.
• Leuty, V.,Boger, J., Young, L., Hoey, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2013). Engaging older adultswith dementia in creative occupations using artificially intelligent assistive technology. Assistive Technology, 25,72–79.
• Young, L.,& Aigen, K. (2013). Supervising the supervisor: The use of live music and identification of parallel processes. InK. Bruscia (Ed.), Self-experiences in music therapy education, training, and supervision, (pp. 491–514).  Gilsum, NH: Barcelona.
•  Young, L.(Ed.) (2012). Editor’s introduction. Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy: A Monograph Series, 7, n.p. Gilsum, NH:Barcelona.
• Young, L.(2012).  Client experiences in postlude discussions in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, 7, 33–70. Gilsum, NH:Barcelona.  
• Young, L.(2012). Compiled Research Symposium Proceedings for 38th Annual Conference of The Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) in partnership with Concordia University. Available at http://www.musictherapy.ca/en/publications/annual-conference-proceedings.html
  
• Young, L. (2011). Predictors of client responsiveness to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM). (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (gradworks.umi.com/3457852.pdf)
• Young, L., & Nicol, J.J. (2011).  Perspectives on singing and performance in music therapy. International Symposium on Performance Science, 129-134 at http://www.legacyweb.rcm.ac.uk/cache/fl0026688.pdf
• Mihailidis, A., Blunsden, S., Boger, J., Richards, B., Zutis, K., Young, L., & Hoey, J. (2010). Towards the development of a technology for art therapy and dementia: Definition of needs and design constraints. Arts in Psychotherapy, 37(4), 293-300.
• Young, L., & Aigen, K. (2010). Supervising the supervisor: The use of live music and identification of parallel processes. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 37(2), 125-134.
• Young, L. (2009) Multicultural issues encountered in the supervision of music therapy internships in the USA and Canada, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 36(4), 191-201.
• Young, L. (2009). The potential health benefits of community based singing groups for adults with cancer. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 15(1), 11-27.