Music Therapy Internship Program Description

Location: Helping Hands Center for Special Needs (HHC) is located at 1850 Sutter Parkway, Worthington, OH, a Northwest suburb of Columbus. It is easily accessible from I-270, I-71 and S.R. 315.

Description of Services: Helping Hands Center is a private therapy and education center offering collaborative services for children with developmental and physical disabilities. Music therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, behavior therapy, and educational consultant services are available, along with an education center offering individual and small group classrooms.

Population Served: Children with a wide range of disabilities, including, but not limited to: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Williams Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Brain Injury, and Mental Retardation, receive services at Helping Hands Center. While there are several populations and ages serviced at the center, approximately half of the therapy center clients and the majority of the education center clients are on the Autism Spectrum and are in the 3 to 8 year old age range.

Starting Dates: Internships will start in January, June and August with applications due approximately 5 months prior to each starting date. Because our summer program is a less intensive schedule, internships that begin in January and June will be 8 months in duration, while the August internship will be 7 months.

Internship Experience: Interns will work with children, ages 1-15 with a wide range of disabilities, in individual and group music therapy settings. They will be exposed to a variety of techniques, including ABA/DTT, improvisation, Augmentative Communication Devices, PECS, play therapy, Sensory Integration, and RPM training methodologies. Interns will be expected to write goals and objectives for treatment plans/IEPs; record data; write progress reports; attend treatment team meetings; and observe, plan, co-lead, and lead individual and group therapy settings. Interns may also have the opportunity to work in the classroom as a discrete trial instructor.

Entry Level Requirements and Evaluations: Prospective interns are expected to complete an application with essays, an interview, and an audition to assess voice, piano and guitar skills. Applicants should be able to sing a song a cappella, play a guitar and piano I-IV-V accompaniment in at least three keys. Prospective interns should also demonstrate interest and a reasonable comfort level in working with students with developmental delays, including those with aggressive tendencies. An on-site interview and audition is strongly preferred.

Staff and Professionals at Helping Hands Center for Special Needs HHC is headed by directors Erin Nealy, MT-BC, and Abigail David, CCC/SLP. Internship Director, Tanya Corso, MT-BC has worked with the directors of HHC since Fall 2003 and has been practicing music therapy since 1998, with experience in both behavioral and improvisational music therapy. HHC currently employs 3 full-time music therapists, 3 full-time speech pathologists, 2 full-time occupational therapists, a full-time ABA consultant, a full-time psychologist and approximately 30 teachers.

Contact Information: Tanya Corso, MT-BC can be reached via e-mail at tanyacorso@gmail.com, or phone at 614-761-9403, ext.111. Applications can be mailed to PO Box 1223, Worthington, OH 43085.

Other Important Information: No housing, meals, or transportation is available at this time. A stipend may be available. Liability insurance for the intern will be provided.

Please contact Abby David, Director of Therapy Services, or click on the information to the right for more information.