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THERAPEUTIC EXPERTISE: Music Therapy

Sarah Pregnall is a board-certified music therapist working since 2007 in a large hospital system in Columbia, SC with experience in medical and psychiatric music therapy practice. Music therapy is an established health profession drawing on a growing body of research showing music’s impact on physical health, cognition, emotional well-being, and social connection. Sarah uses music as a tool with people who are working to improve, maintain, or restore their health. She has worked with adults with acute mental health needs, preterm babies and their families in the NICU, people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, and individuals with a variety of medical issues during their time in the general hospital setting. Sarah also supervises music therapy interns in these settings as they complete their clinical training before certification. Sarah completed her bachelor’s degree in music education from Winthrop University in 2002 and, after teaching music for a few years, she earned her master’s in music therapy from East Carolina University. Now, as a PhD student of music therapy at Temple University, Sarah’s research interests align with her clinical practice and include music and mental health, music and rehabilitation, and music for relationship and community building.