Caroline Smith has been a music therapist at TLS for four years. You may have seen her around, as she works at all three TLS locations, and also contracts with a day program for special needs adults in the community.
Caroline earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology pre-med from Spelman College, and a bachelor of music degree in music therapy from the University of Dayton. Currently, Caroline is in graduate school working on her master of arts in music therapy. Her credential is music therapist board certified (MT-BC).
Caroline completed her music therapy internship at Bridgeway Academy, and then moved to Indiana and worked with children and adults with special needs on the Medicaid waiver. She worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team which included behavior therapists and licensed psychotherapists.
Working with clients on the Medicaid waiver gave her experience with all types of diagnoses and skill levels. There were three music therapists at her company, however, they rarely saw each other, so she learned to be self-motivated as well as to take initiative when things needed to be done. She also learned a lot about time management, as her schedule was busy, and she had to learn to balance her work with her life outside of it.
She completed her internship in a school, and absolutely loved the environment. TLS had a similar philosophy that she truly believed in. She loved working with special needs children, and thought TLS would be a really good fit.
As our music therapist, Caroline is responsible for planning and implementing individual and group music therapy sessions, and providing adapted music lessons in voice, guitar and piano, as well as lessons for typically developing students. She uses music therapy to help students access their inner musical child, and gain functional skills that allow them to adapt better across all environments. She maintains professional documentation such as assessments, treatment plans and progress notes, and plans and implements two school performances per year for our students.
Caroline hopes to be able to help grow the programming and staff in the creative arts and wellness department. She strives to be an advocate for music therapy both at TLS and in the community as well.
In her spare time, Caroline enjoys spoiling her four cats and two dogs. One fun fact is she has synthesia, which means that see sees music in colors, making for a very colorful and vibrant experience anytime she hears music!
Thank you, Caroline, for all you do for TLS!
The Learning Spectrum provides individualized care to children with autism both in and out of the school setting. With our small-group learning environment, TLS tailors our services to each individual student’s unique needs. Our goal is to help students reach their full potential and live healthy, productive and independent lives.
For more information about The Learning Spectrum or the visual arts program at TLS, please visit our website at www.thelearningspectrum.com or call 614-844-5433.