Music Therapy Moments: Music Therapy for Staff Support
by: Mara Baldwin, Music Therapy Intern
“Wonderful experience with impactful results. We give so much each day, it feels so good to check in and just ground yourself. Something so small making such a big impact. Thank you!” – ICN staff member
Recently, a pilot program called Music Therapy Moments was created to bring music therapy sessions to the staff working in the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco! The goal of this program was to help decrease the effects of burnout that many healthcare workers experience.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is described as “the consequences of severe stress and high ideals in the helping professions” (Reith, 2018). Common themes that you may hear when talking about burnout include long-term job stress, difficulty balancing work and home life, and emotional depletion. Symptoms of burnout may include feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious or stressed.
Burnout statistics for healthcare workers show a rapid increase, especially since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American Nurses Association, 15.6% of nurses felt burnout, in 2019, but since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number has risen to 62%. Healthcare workers who work in intensive care settings are also at a higher risk for experiencing burnout due to the high-stress environment. These are some of the reasons that Music Therapy Moments was developed.
What is Music Therapy Moments?
It was decided that the best way to provide music therapy for staff was to bring the sessions to them. We did this by bringing our voices and guitar to the zones. Participation was optional and staff could come and go as they needed to check on patients. Our goal was to give back to the staff for 10-15 minutes every Friday afternoon for five weeks.
Music Therapy in the Zones
During those five weeks, different music therapy interventions were brought to the staff. First, there was song choice. A list of songs was provided to the staff, and they chose two or three that the music therapy intern would play and sing live. The goals were to foster community bonding, increase motivation and decrease stress. The staff chatted about favorite songs, sang along, danced and listened while they worked.
Another week, music therapy partnered with Ra Adcock, the Director of Integrative Medicine to provide music and acupressure. Ra provided 3-4 minutes of acupressure for staff while they listened to calming live music on the guitar. The goal was to promote relaxation and decrease stress. After the sessions, staff reported that this was just what they needed after a long day.
A songwriting intervention was used to talk with staff about the struggles in their day and what helps them get through. We changed the words to Stand By Me to reflect their responses. This involved singing about being tired or stressed and the joy that comes when patients are smiling. We also provided music and relaxation to give staff a moment to focus on breathing and connecting with their bodies while listening to calming music.
Feedback
The responses from staff were incredibly positive and they shared how much it meant to have something specifically for them. From nurses to doctors to respiratory therapists and even parents of patients, many people participated in Music Therapy Moments. Staff reported feeling motivated and energized from some sessions and relaxed and calm from others.
Overall, Music Therapy Moments provided a chance to work through some of the difficult symptoms of burnout, give back to our amazing staff and provide opportunities to build even deeper connections.
