A Game of Tones: Music Therapy and Geek Culture

Upon completion of this training, the individual is awarded one (1) APA/NBCC/ACE/APT CE Hour of Completion. 

About this Event

Music is an essential part of geek culture. For many inspired by geek culture, the soundtracks to their favorite movies, television shows, and video games have also served as the soundtracks to their lives. What fan of The Lord of the Rings hasn’t idly hummed Howard Shore’s “The Shire” while washing the dishes? Music can also provide fuel for the creation of geek content, such as in the form of playlists created to accompany tabletop roleplaying games or story writing. Because of its influence and flexibility, it is uniquely suited to be used as a therapeutic tool and can be adapted to address virtually any goal. As a board-certified music therapist, Alexa Konowal has created music interventions inspired by geek culture to engage children and adults with various diagnoses and needs. In this presentation, she will provide an overview of the music therapy profession, describe and illustrate the ways music therapists provide services and incorporate geek content into their interventions, and offer examples of geek culture-informed music activities that can be used by professionals outside of music therapy.

Disability Accommodations

It is the responsibility of the Individual to contact Geek Therapeutics to request disability accommodations at Hello@geektherapeutics.com.   

Geek Therapeutics is committed to helping each student reach his/her academic potential and to providing every student equal opportunity to participate in and engage with the course.  In keeping with this commitment, effort has been made to develop accessible learning materials that provide equal access.  Please contact Geek Therapeutics immediately if access to course materials is restricted due to a disability so the issue(s) can be resolved in a timely manner.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe three ways music therapy services are delivered. 

2. Identify one music-based, geek culture-informed activity that can be used in a therapeutic setting.

3. Participants will be able to define play therapy and identify the 10 seminal theories and historically relevant approaches that guide play therapy practice.

4. Participants will identify two play therapy interventions that combine characters, themes, and/or narratives present in Geek Culture that harness the therapeutic power of play for supporting the mental health and well-being of children, adolescents, adults, and/or families.

Course Instructor:

Alexa Konowal is a board-certified music therapist living in Northeast Ohio. She presently works with people with severe and persistent mental illness at Community Support Services and has also provided music therapy services for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music with honors at Wittenberg University and completed the Professional Studies for Music Therapy Certification Eligibility program at Shenandoah University. 

Continuing Education Credits:

Psychologists: Geek Therapeutics is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this program and its content

Counselors: Geek Therapeutics has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7042. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Social Workers: Geek Therapeutics, #1769, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 05/19/2022 – 05/19/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 1 continuing education credits.

Play Therapists:  Geek Therapeutics has been approved by APT as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, No. 21-649. Programs that do not qualify for APT credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Other Professions: This activity qualifies for the specified number of hours of instructional content as required by many licensing boards and professional organizations. Save your course outline and certificate of completion, and contact your board or organization for specific requirements. Completion of the course(s) with a post-test score of 80% or better is required to receive continuing education credit; there is no partial credit.