Foundation Expands Important Music Therapy Program To London
The Peterson Family Foundation is excited to announce our music therapy program is now international! The program has expanded to London, England at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), where we will continue our commitment to creating and sustaining music therapy programs for hospitalized children as well as funding cutting edge pediatric cancer research.
Meet The Music Therapy Lead
The international expansion is being led by Katya Herman, a board certified music therapist in the United States and registered by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK. She is a certified Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT), NICU music therapist (NICU-MT) and MATADOC assessor. Herman is the first full-time music therapist at the hospital and will be practicing in collaboration with Chiltern Music Therapy.
Before starting at GOSH, Herman worked on the Trauma and Neuroscience wards at The Royal London Hospital and at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she provided group and individual music therapy for patients of all ages and with diverse needs, including fragile health, psychiatric diagnoses, profound developmental disabilities, cognitive challenges and highly complex social histories.
This experience with a variety of clinical populations has deepened her understanding of how music therapy can, when wielded with precision and care, be used to help patients reach their goals, while also celebrating their strengths and selfhood.
Herman takes great pride in demonstrating how music therapy can provide opportunities for meaningful connection, creative expression and joyful shared experiences, while using robust, evidence-based protocols to advance patient progress.
Make sure you visit our blog regularly for updates on our new international expansion, as well as useful information for music therapists, parents, and students.
About the Peterson Family Foundation
The Peterson Family Foundation was founded in 2003 to enhance, restore and improve the quality of life for all human beings. Our primary mission is to seek out and support experts and institutions dedicated to enhancing and improving the lives of people dealing with illnesses requiring a stay at a medical institution by bringing music therapy to as many hospitals as possible. Learn more on our website or share your story with us.