Hope Program: Peer Group Support
Park City Group Support Programs will begin in September 2018.
What does a group session at the Cole Project look like?
Group members meet every 2 weeks for 2 hours with our music therapy and music volunteer team. Group members check in with one another and together decide on the focus for the group session. The group then decides the music based activity or activities they would like to focus on and use these activities to collectively explore their experiences with grief. We provide a variety of instruments and other opportunities for exploring grief within music. Through these experiences in music, group members provide for one another a nonjudgemental and supportive space for validation, identification, normalization and expression of feelings, thoughts and emotions during the grief process. Activities can include, but are not limited to, song writing, free improvisation, music listing, recreating songs, music for coping and of course just talking and hanging out with each other. NO music skills are required!
Why Music?
Music based interventions work effectively with adolescents during this time because music itself is something they are familiar with, have a strong connection to, is meaningful to them and age-appropriate (Hilliard, 2001; Robers, 2006, Clements-Cortes, Klinck, 2016). Music can hold the emotional space for the individual or group, while also witnessing their struggles and triumphs. Adolescents often find music to be a powerful way to express emotions that may otherwise be too difficult to verbalize. Several studies have shown music based interventions to be very effective for self-expression and for developing ways to cope with many of the complex emotions experienced during grief.
What does a group session at the Cole Project look like?
Group members meet every 2 weeks for 2 hours with our music therapy and music volunteer team. Group members check in with one another and together decide on the focus for the group session. The group then decides the music based activity or activities they would like to focus on and use these activities to collectively explore their experiences with grief. We provide a variety of instruments and other opportunities for exploring grief within music. Through these experiences in music, group members provide for one another a nonjudgemental and supportive space for validation, identification, normalization and expression of feelings, thoughts and emotions during the grief process. Activities can include, but are not limited to, song writing, free improvisation, music listing, recreating songs, music for coping and of course just talking and hanging out with each other. NO music skills are required!
Why Music?
Music based interventions work effectively with adolescents during this time because music itself is something they are familiar with, have a strong connection to, is meaningful to them and age-appropriate (Hilliard, 2001; Robers, 2006, Clements-Cortes, Klinck, 2016). Music can hold the emotional space for the individual or group, while also witnessing their struggles and triumphs. Adolescents often find music to be a powerful way to express emotions that may otherwise be too difficult to verbalize. Several studies have shown music based interventions to be very effective for self-expression and for developing ways to cope with many of the complex emotions experienced during grief.