Stephanie Sparks
MMus - Music Therapy (UP); BMus (Hons) (UP)
I am a young HPCSA-registered music therapist with an interest in helping families and individuals manage challenging behaviours in children and teenagers. I have experience working in both state and private psychiatric facilities, in special-needs education, and with various non-profit organisations, such as the Teddy Bear Foundation (where I work with children in conflict with the law). Across these settings, I have worked with a variety of needs and conditions (from ADHD and autism to eating disorders, mood disorders, and psychosis).
I approach all my work from a systems perspective, looking at every aspect of a client’s life and how it influences their capacity to thrive.
I completed both my undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications at the University of Pretoria (the only university in Africa to offer Music Therapy), and am currently enrolled in further study in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy.
I believe that since around 90% of human communication is non-verbal, psychotherapies should also offer means of working with non-verbal content. Music Therapy is one of the incredibly effective ways to do this. Music Therapy offers individuals the opportunity to get to know themselves (and be known by a therapist) as whole humans.