Tuning into Our Tweens & Teens With Music (Part 1)
When thinking of a tween or teen who is struggling to speak with parents or teachers, interact with others in a healthy way, or participate effectively in daily tasks, let’s ask ourselves what they are resorting to for diversion, pleasure, expression or any of these in combination. If they are shutting down those in their immediate and most familiar environments, where are they turning? The answer often is technology. However, along with technology often comes music. Regardless of what social media platforms they are tuning into (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X) most of the time there is music paired with what they are watching. If you ask a tween or teen if they have a playlist, 99% of the time they do. Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, Tidal, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, I Heart Radio, Deezer, and Slacker Radio are some of the main apps, however new apps are created constantly.
If tweens and teens are spending on average 2.5 hours a day listening to music and most likely more, since most things they tune into on social media have background music to attract their attention, then music is a significant part of their lives. As a clinician, I often ask our tweens and teens if they are willing to share some of their favorite songs from their playlist. They are not only willing but eager to play their music in the session. Entering their music world and learning the things they like, in a non-judgmental way, increases the therapist client connection dramatically. It also opens the door for a myriad of therapeutic techniques to be used to explore their biggest challenges.
When using music that they connect to the most, the therapist can “Tune Into that Tween’s or Teen’s” thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. In our practice, Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCAT) are trained in psychotherapy, have their Board Certification in Music Therapy, and can pair music with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and, for those who have completed the training, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with wonderful success.
In our next blog we will share more about these services and how music is used in our sessions to assist the client to make measurable progress.