Overview
Living Spirit Therapy Services, LLC is a music therapy private practice in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota serving individuals and groups throughout the community. We serve clients locally and nationally. Our practice specializes in music therapy services for seniors; those with neurologic issues such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and autism; hospice; mental health; individuals in schools; individuals with developmental disabilities; early childhood music; and community wellness. We provide adaptive music lessons; and emotional and academic support for school age children. We also provide resources to support our community and those that serve it. Our Empowering Wellness Initiative is a web-based tool to support mental and physical health for adults; and mental health and enrichment for individuals with disabilities and children. Within this program we have a variety of content to support parents, teachers, and therapists working with children and those with disabilities. Our first series Core Words for School Language Development is a compilation of 27 original songs, videos, chord charts, and ready to use power points to help individuals learn the basics of language comprehension and usage. We are about to release our second series!
Our mission at Living Spirit Therapy Services, LLC is to empower clients in Minnesota’s Twin Cities metro with the tools to live life to their fullest potential through cutting edge, personalized, holistic, and dignified Neurologic Music Therapy Treatment. We strive to empower clients and their loved ones to move beyond disability and illness to release the living spirit in everyone; helping clients develop, practice, and utilize skills and techniques to help them live rather than just survive and cope with illness and disability. We strive to increase and restore dignity, pride, and inclusion for ALL individuals, thus strengthening our community at large.
Our values: Dignity, respect, compassion, empowerment, integrity, trust, and personal growth.
Our vision is to build stronger communities by increasing independence; improving dignity, belonging, and inclusion; improving quality of life, providing support, and expanding resources of their members.
Our Pledge:
Living Spirit Therapy Services, LLC is committed to anti-racist actions to decrease systematic prejudice and increase equity in access to services to support overall quality of life and well-being of ALL in our community. We recognize that growth in this area is an ongoing challenge as the many needs of our diverse community are so different. We pledge to continue to learn and grow as we take a variety of actions to improve inclusion, belonging, and dignity within our community.
Our actions toward this goal:
- We are affirming of all students, families and staff regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability.
- We are constantly learning and correcting so we can develop our session/lesson materials to be culturally/racially relevant and reflective of the greater community.
- We are constantly learning and correcting as we work with session contacts and staff from diverse backgrounds.
- Regular staff training on topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Regular staff training on the unique gifts and needs of diverse groups in our community.
- Modification of policies, procedures, and systems as appropriate to adapt and respond to changing community needs.
- Hosting educational opportunities to share anti-racist actions and knowledge.
- Giving donations to charities and organizations promoting equity and well-being to those with unique needs.
- Gaining sponsorships for early childhood, music therapy, and music and wellness programs to provide high quality programing at no cost to families.
- Acquiring grants that support our services to provide high quality programing at reduced or no cost to consumers.
- Performing service projects to strengthen our community.
- Participation in the Moundsview School District Diversity Equity Committee.
- Participation in the New Brighton Equity Commission.
- Ongoing advocacy and support for the needs of our colleagues and students from diverse backgrounds and recruitment of prospective therapists from diverse backgrounds.
- Ongoing advocacy for the music therapy profession and to increase equitable access to services.
- Hosting fundraisers for organizations that support equity and well-being for those with unique needs.
- Maintaining an inclusive environment for all of our early childhood classes, camps, and group programing.
- Fundraising to support reduced or no cost music therapy for older adults living in private homes who are low income, in rural areas, or from marginalized communities.
- Offering one month free enrollment in our Empowering Wellness Initiative for people from historically marginalized communities, and organizations who support them.
- Offering free lifetime enrollment in our Empowering Wellness Initiative to schools with a student body of 90%+ people of color.
- Offering one month free enrollment in our Empowering Wellness Initiative for music therapy students; Offering lifetime free access for music therapy internship supervisors.
Strategic Plan:
- Provide a trusted resource for empowerment of clients; help clients develop, practice, and utilize skills and techniques to help them live with dignity, belonging, and inclusion rather than just survive and cope with illness and disability.
- To be a leader in implementation of innovative, holistic, and dignified Neurologic Music Therapy® strategies.
- To provide music therapists with a supportive environment for growth, community, innovation, and resources for self-actualization.
Music therapy really makes people connect. It’s the most helpful of all the therapies. It’s like you flip a switch and turn them on. I have to bring a camera next time! She just lights up to the music!
The music touches him ... You’re the only one who can make him smile. He doesn’t even smile for me ... He has his eyes open more for you than anyone else ... He really moves to the music.
You come here and give me peace through the music. It’s healing.
You do as much or more than doctors and nurses to make me feel better.
You are so wonderful, I just watched him settle down as you played.
About Music Therapy
Music therapy is an evidence-based allied health service similar to occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology that uses music as its therapeutic tool to address physical, cognitive, social, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and/or behavioral needs. Music therapy sessions are individualized to meet immediate needs in group and/or one-to-one formats.
Focus populations for this practice include but are not limited to:
- People with neurologic issues such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease
- Seniors in independent living, nursing homes, assisted living, and residential homes
- People needing palliative care and/or hospice care
- Adults and children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and ADD/ADHD
- People with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain issues
- People suffering from anxiety or depression
- Mental health groups
- Adult wellness
Contact
Contact Living Spirit Therapy Services to find out more about how we assist our clients to develop, practice, and utilize skills and techniques to help them live rather than just survive and cope with illness and disability.
Melissa Spiess, M.M., MT-BC
Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow
melissa@livingspirittherapy.com
651-363-3936
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