Music Therapy for Mental Health at AMFM Healthcare

Published: 11/18/2024 | Updated: 04/28/2026

Authored by: Zachary Ehrmann, MSc

Edited by: Emma Loker, BSc, PgDip

It can be incredibly hard to put into words how you’ve been feeling, even in the therapy room. Language sometimes falls short of being able to express your experiences, and music therapy can be a way to explore the healing process in an entirely new way.

At A Mission For Michael, music therapy is woven into our therapeutic programming for mental health care, showing our whole-person approach to wellness in addressing the mind, body, and spirit.

We work from within a recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R) framework, which music fits nicely within. Music helps to build connections and activate positive emotional states, allowing you to redirect your attention and improve your self-expression.

Expressive therapy with music gives you a path toward new understanding and insight. And it’s all available at our evidence-based programs for inpatient and outpatient-based services.

Our Approach to Music Therapy at AMFM Healthcare

Within music therapy for mental health at AMFM Healthcare, we recognize that the healing process doesn’t have to be all about talking. If you’ve been struggling at times to articulate your inner world, music can offer a new way to explore your experiences.^[1]

Music therapy can help you access what’s known as adaptive mode – the part of a person that holds their strengths, values, and capacity for positive connections.^[2] Listening to a meaningful song and exploring the lyrics can also help to activate positive beliefs and emotions. What’s more, it can facilitate trust-building, which sets the foundation for deeper clinical work.^[3]

For clients who might be experiencing high levels of distress, music can help you refocus on something external to move toward. In turn, this creates distance from the internal noise without needing to suppress or avoid it.

AMFM Healthcare is a proud believer in holistic therapy for total-person care. Music for mental health is all about utilizing the power of sound and creative engagement in the service of building a lasting recovery.

What to Expect From Music Therapy

The delivery method of music therapy depends on your level of care and unique treatment plan, but you can count on all your treatment at A Mission For Michael being structured and purposeful.

Music Integration Into Your Treatment Plan

We build opportunities for music-based work into your weekly programming at residential care, alongside:

Individual and group sessions,
Psychiatric sessions,
Medication management, and
Inviting activities and rest.

The format will depend on your needs. If you’re accessing outpatient treatment, music can also be an important part of your care. You’ll have opportunities to engage in ways that are meaningful to you.

Facilitated Group Music Therapy Sessions

AMFM Healthcare also offers dedicated weekly music therapy for mental health groups, facilitated by a trained clinician, at our residential locations throughout Orange County, California, and Virginia.

The group sessions draw on listening, discussion, and vocal engagement to help attendees access new emotional states and process their experiences in non-confronting, gentle ways.

Music Between Sessions

Residential clients are also provided access to MP3 players and headphones to listen to Pandora during non-group times. These can serve as a self-directed tool for managing your mood and maintaining equilibrium throughout the day.

Structured Outpatient-Based Opportunities

In our outpatient-based programs, creative therapy for anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns is delivered via targeted weekly blocks. Within these, we focus on areas such as:

Music Therapy
The Soundtrack to Healing
Music and Mindfulness
Music: Lyrics and Rewrite

Each module combines identity exploration with time-tested recovery principles, engaging you with the power of music as a vehicle for self-expression and the opportunity for therapeutic processing.

Ongoing Practice

Experiential therapy with music at AMFM Healthcare is designed to build up new skills that travel with you throughout recovery – using music for distress tolerance and emotional regulation, self-expression – that stand the test of time. Our clinical team works with each client to identify what resonates most to focus on how to sustain what you learn as part of your ongoing recovery toolkit.

Find out about our free assessment & admissions process

We accept most major insurance providers and can check your coverage levels for you.

If we are not an appropriate provider for care, we will assist in finding a care provider that can help.

Program Structure and Weekly Schedule

Music therapy programs at our welcoming facilities are thoughtfully and intentionally integrated into each level of care. In our adult residential program, you’ll attend a dedicated weekly music therapy group alongside the rest of your programming.

Outside of standard program hours, you’ll have ongoing access to your favorite music with our dedicated MP3 players for active engagement in your free time.

In our outpatient-based programs, you’ll have access to four unique blocks of music-related treatment as referenced above:

Group sessions based around using music to express yourself and explore your experiences
Exploring the personal meaning of music in your overall recovery journey
Combining present-moment mindfulness practices with musical engagement
Using songwriting and lyrical analysis as a tool for emotional processing

We explore experiential therapy with music from several angles, giving you multiple entry points to healing work.

Find Mental Health Treatment Programs

A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Mental Health support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.

California Locations

See our residences in Southern California’s Orange County & San Diego County.

Fallbrook - Peony

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with library, large backyard, and pool with beautiful views.

Carlsbad - Goldenbush

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Carlsbad - Hoover

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms for our clients with beautiful ocean views, large rooms and relaxng atmosphere.

Dana Point - Blue Lantern

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features calming large rooms, updated interior, and outdoor pool.

Dana Point - Crystal Lantern

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Includes large rooms, updated interior, and private treatment rooms.

Fallbrook - North Ridge

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Featured amenties include tennis court, pool, and game area.

Laguna Hills - Waterwheel

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, and large backyard.

Laguna Niguel - Campeon

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, and covered seating in backyard.

Lake Forest - Grayston

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, relaxing spaces, & covered seating in backyard.

Lake Forest - Sunnybrook

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Newly remodeled interior with large rooms and backyard with garden.

San Juan Capistrano - Banderas

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features updated, modern interior with relaxing outdoor space to unwind.

San Juan Capistrano - Valencia

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Mission Viejo - Michelle's House

Residential treatment center just for women who’ve experienced trauma, domestic violence, or overwhelming life challenges

Minnesota Locations

Take a look at our homes on the east side of the Metro area in Washington County.

Stillwater - Arcola

Male residential house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard many dedicated spaces for therapy.

Stillwater - Dellwood

Female mental health residential house with double and single occupancy rooms. Beautifully appointed, relaxing atmosphere for healing.

Virginia Locations

View our facilities in Fairfax County, VA within the DC metro area.

Annandale - Rebel Rose

Female identifying house with single and double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with movie theater, on a large property.

Fairfax Station - Derbyshire

Male only house with double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large rooms, gorgeous interior, and music/game room.

Great Falls - Kellie Jean

Gender inclusive house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with movie theater, game room, and large property.

Vienna - Browns Mill

Gender inclusive property with double and single occupancy rooms providing compassionate care in a peaceful setting for adults.

Vienna - Corsica

Gender inclusive house with double & single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard, movie theater, & dedicated therapy spaces.

Vienna - Lawyers

Male identifying house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard many dedicated spaces for therapy.

Treatment Modalities We Use

Music therapy for emotional regulation works best when it’s part of a larger, holistic approach. Ultimately, this means pairing music therapy with other therapy approaches. We offer a full range of research-backed, evidence-based treatment modalities for total-person care:

Individual therapy
Group therapy
Prescriber appointments
Recovery-oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Psychodynamic therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Art therapy
Mindfulness and meditation
Animal-assisted therapy
Yoga
Holistic outings into the community

Why Choose Us?

Music is truly a universal language, but utilizing it for healing is about a lot more than good intentions. At AMFM Healthcare, we deliver music therapy as a clinical tool that has a clear rationale for what it’s designed to achieve in treatment.

Our recovery-oriented cognitive therapy framework provides opportunities for meaningful connection to:

Activate positive emotional states,
Build your resilience, and
Change your life (long-term) in ways your treatment plan is uniquely designed to achieve.

For those who have possibly spent years struggling to articulate themselves, expressive therapy with music can be an intervention that finally creates movement and connection.

The program structure provides you with access to structured and free-form engagement with music that’s meaningful to you. The benefits of music therapy have been well-documented for managing acute distress and finding new meaning. We’ll work alongside you to find the application that best fits your needs.

AMFM Healthcare offers the depth and the clinical support you need to start and maintain the recovery process. Verify your insurance now or contact us and find out how to get started when you’re ready to take the next step.

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