All about PBMT
Pen Bay Music Therapy (PBMT) is dedicated to facilitating integrative music therapy in Midcoast Maine and beyond. We recognize the many ways musical experiences and spaces can support the healing, coping, and growth of individuals and communities.
We guide our work through key evidence-based assumptions:
Music as a Pathway: Music can help us bypass various challenges and support healing in unique ways.
Music and the Brain: Music has a unique capacity for leveraging neuroplasticity, or guiding neural pathways in the brain.
Beyond the Everyday: Musical experiences can support enactment, shift our awareness, and help us explore and transform ourselves.
Self-Discovery Through Music: Through music, we are able to deepen our understanding of unconscious expressive blocks, impulsive choices, and personal preferences.
We facilitate collaborative processes with children, teenagers, and adults of all abilities and backgrounds. Our mission is to foster transformative relationships through shared music experiences while making individualized music and creative arts therapy available and accessible to Midcoast Mainers.
We value
Empowering Music Experiences
We facilitate client-led music therapy experiences aimed to help explore and express deep emotions and self-concept through music.
Safety & Trust
We build relationships founded on a mutually felt sense of safety and trust. We are uniquely trained to hold a safe space for the full range of self-expression and meaningful connection.
Personalized Treatment
We individualized music therapy sessions to fit the unique needs and preferences of each individual.
Multi-Modal Experiences
We encourage sharing a range of therapeutic techniques and resources to make the therapy process more engaging and dynamic.
Facilitating Community Change
The Maine counties of Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo Counties each voted Mental Health as a top health priority in the Midcoast District 2022 Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment Report.
Mental health was emphasized above Substance Use, Access to Care, Healthy Aging, and Chronic Disease. Other needs highlighted in the report included Programs for Youth and Less Stigma.
Reading this, we asked: how can we reduce stigma? How can we create low-barrier opportunities for youth? How can we support healthy aging?
We will…
Facilitate opportunities for clients to engage in therapeutic music experiences and music therapy processes.
Celebrate the diverse and unique qualities of our community members.
Partner with community members and organizations to increase visibility and awareness surrounding mental health topics and increase accessibility to mental health programs.
This will…
Develop programs that evolve to meet the emerging community needs.
Reduce stigma regarding mental health.
Provide accessible opportunities for mental healthcare in proven areas of high need.
Accessibility Through Fundraising
We’re proud to offer equitable and accessible music therapy in Midcoast Maine. Thanks to the support of our fiscal sponsor and physical home, Midcoast Music Academy, we’re able to provide a sliding scale to our clients to support accessibility of services.
This vital support is made possible by the generosity of our benefactors. We invite you to consider donating through MCMA to help sustain and expand access to our music therapy services in the Midcoast community.
Video filmed and produced by Stunt Dog Productions, Inc