FAQ FRIDAY: What is the difference between Creative Arts Enrichment and Creative Arts Therapy?

At The Sonatina Center, we hear this question a lot! The primary reason is because we are a team of music and art therapists offering individual and group therapy services but we also offer some wonderful enrichment programs so we see how it can get a little confusing to understand which hat we are wearing and when!

Let's start with some definitions.

Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music and music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship with a credentialed professional. (AMTA)

Art therapy an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. (AATA)

The key phrase that stands out in both of those definitions is "within a therapeutic relationship" meaning that we don't own music or art making. Anyone can make music and make art. We are educated, trained and experienced in using music and art making to help people through all kinds of struggles.

Okay... another definition.

Enrichment is defined as making something more meaningful or improving something. Educational enrichment opportunities give students opportunities to broaden their potential. In our enrichment programs we have one broad goal and that is to enrich your life with music and art.

Music and art therapists follow standards of practice that include assessing individuals and writing treatment plans with specific and measurable goals. (Check out what I had to say about goals & objectives here!) This is something that we do not do in our enrichment programs but something that we definitely do in our individual therapy sessions and our therapy groups at The Sonatina Center.

However, as an educated, trained and experienced music therapist, I never really take my music therapy hat off. This is what makes Groove & Grow so unique and what sets it apart from other family music classes. With my music therapy hat on I'm always assessing young children in my class and adjusting what I do based on my assessment. I may not be writing goals and objectives, but I am always observing the strengths and needs of each individual and purposefully choosing music experiences to help the move through challenges and reach their potential in a safe environment. This also means I am responsive in the moment to what comes up in class. If I see a child overstimulated by bright colors and movement you can rest assured I’m not going to bring out the parachute even if it was in my plan. I am always observing and responding in real time to what my littlest participants are telling me non-verbally. There are plenty of days where my session plans go right out the window for this very reason!

So to sum it all up... In music and art therapy sessions we are working on very specific goals and tracking progress. We are choosing interventions to specifically address those goals. We are trained to know what kind of music experience or art directive has potential to help you in that specific moment. While it may look like we are just making music and art, everything we facilitate is purposeful with that specific goal in mind.

In music and art enrichment classes, we are focusing broadly on enriching your life with music and art! We are primarily hoping to foster a love of music and art from a young age, encouraging you to get messy, play, and be present with your loved ones and giving you a safe space to do so!