Alice Hardy, Clinical Lead for Music Therapy
Q: Tell us about your background and role here.
A: I’m the Clinical Lead for Music Therapy at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. I support the development and delivery of music therapy across neurorehabilitation and long-term care. My clinical background is in brain injury rehabilitation and prolonged disorders of consciousness.
Q: What are your particular clinical interests?
I’m particularly interested in how music can support communication, cognition, movement, and social and emotional wellbeing. These are areas where music therapy can really make a tangible difference.
“Music therapy at the RHN is really special because it is embedded within the multidisciplinary teams. It is part of the service we provide and this gives music therapists the opportunity to work closely with colleagues and be involved in patients’ wider care.”
Q: What inspired you to pursue music therapy as a career?
A: I chose to work in music therapy after meeting someone who had sustained a brain injury after being hit by a taxi. He had made a remarkable recovery and told me that music therapy had helped him relearn to walk and talk. I was struck by what music could do in rehabilitation and decided it was something I wanted to pursue as a career.
Q: What makes music therapy at the RHN special?
A: Music therapy at the RHN is really special because it is embedded within the multidisciplinary teams. It is part of the service we provide and this gives music therapists the opportunity to work closely with colleagues and be involved in patients’ wider care. It also means we can reach people who may find other parts of their care difficult to engage with, giving them another way to take part and connect.