This week the gals are joined by the one, the only, the magical Stephanie Leavell of Music for Kiddos! You may know Stephanie from her wonderful group supervision and support community, or you may know her from her own podcast, Music for Kiddos. What you may not know is the journey Stephanie took to get where she is.

In this episode, we talk all about:

And of course a little bit of venting and a lot of laughter!

You can find Stephanie at www.musicforkiddos.com where you can learn more about her community, upcoming CMTE offerings, and free resources to help lighten your load.

If you are looking for 1:1 supervision, Alyssa has a few openings for music therapists who are seeking support! You can email her - [email protected].

Additional Resources for Supervision Support:

Previous episodes mentioned:

Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at [email protected]⁠ and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram at ⁠Instagram.com/coffeeandtheratea

In this episode, we brought back the incredible Shelley Anderson to talk more about AAC! If you haven't already, listen to our first episode with Shelley, All About AAC, to help us celebrate AAC Awareness Month all October long.

In this episode, Shelley will emphasize:

Shelley has some wonderful AAC resources and courses coming out very soon! Stay tuned to Shelley's many social media pages to be the first to know about her fantastic resources:

We can't wait to keep the conversation flowing with you over on Instagram, @CoffeeAndTheraTEA, or email us at [email protected]

This week the gals are joined by a special guest for AAC awareness month, Shelley Anderson! Shelley is a board-certified music therapist and assistive technology specialist. She joins the Coffee and TheraTEA stage to talk ALL things AAC!

What is AAC? AAC is Alternative and Augmentative Communication and Shelley is going to tell you a ton about it.

In this episode we will highlight:

and so much more!

We had such a wonderful time with Shelley that she will be back for an AAC part 2 to talk all things AAC and mental health. Stay tuned!

Where to find Shelley and her fantastic resources:

Most importantly, check out the AAC apps on super sale for the week of October 10th - 17th, 2023 before they're gone!

We recommend this comprehensive list - https://bridgingapps.org/aac-awareness-month-aac-app-list/

We can't wait to keep the conversation flowing with you over on Instagram, @CoffeeAndTheraTEA, or email us at [email protected]

Today the gals are joined by special guest, Allie Newell, BS, BCBA, LBA. Allie joins us for continued critical evaluation of the ABA field, because we can't help ourselves, as well as discussion around Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Allie has an upcoming training for practitioners all about ACT called ACT-U! You can learn more about ACT-U and register, here.

Allie is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst specializing in providing behavioral therapy to people of all ages and abilities. Whether you are a person looking for someone to understand your unique needs, or a parent looking for support with your children or teens, her services are right for you. Allie loves supporting clients from all walks of life. She has specialized experience within the neurotypical and neurodivergent populations.

You can learn more about Allie on her website

Keep the conversation flowing on instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTEA or email us, [email protected]

September is NICU awareness month and we are so excited to share Courtney's personal story and journey in the NICU with her beautiful child, Elliott! This story follows Elliott's 67 day NICU stay with all of the challenges and wonderful support Courtney and her wife received during their time in the NICU.

A support that you'll hear Courtney share that helped her family during this difficult time is @DearNICUMama on instagram. You can find their page, here!

We hope this story helps anyone on their own NICU journey as well as the wonderful therapists who care for NICU babies and their families.

We recorded this episode a while back and you'll hear us reference the episode, Ketchup and Sour Pickles which is a great listen as well!

We'd love to hear about your journey in the NICU if this story resonates with you. Keep the conversation flowing on instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTEA or email us, [email protected]

It’s BTS time! Sadly, no not the band, Back To School. This can be a challenging time for kids, parents, and professionals. In this episode, Alyssa, Courtney, and Noa sit down and talk about tangible ways to ease the back to school transition. They leave you with ideas for how to manage both the knowns and unknowns of big transitions!

Needing more resources?

Dynamic Lynks has a variety of back to school activities parents and professionals can use to help ease the BTS transition in their free resource portal.

You can also check out their latest blow, www.dynamiclynks.com/blog all about prepping for back to school!

Join us in discussions over on Instagram to keep the conversation flowing - @coffeeandtheratea - or email us [email protected]

In this episode, Alyssa, Noa, and Courtney sit down to discuss the complicated topic of evidence-based practice (EBP). The gals explore the what, why, and how of EBP to better understand what role it plays in clinical practice, outside of the research setting.

Why EBP? It all spurred from last episode's discussion around the update on EBP practices for autistic individuals. Give that episode a listen first if you haven't already, The AMA and ABA Update.

What is EBP?

There are MANY definitions and interpretations. One you will hear on the episode is "evidence-based practice is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best empirical evidence when making decisions about how to practice when providing information and care for client/patients. This best evidence should be combined with practitioner expertise and should consider the characteristics, state, needs, values and preference of those who will be affected."

Other resources we share are:

Episode Edit: Alyssa talked about the PAL research coming out of FSU. Alyssa misspoke on the lead researcher on that study. That lead researcher is Jayne Standley from Florida State University.

You can read about this incredible research and work, here.

Join us in discussions over on Instagram to keep the conversation flowing - @coffeeandtheratea - or email us [email protected]

A very heated topic in therapy land this week has been the update from the American Medical Association's House of Delegates annual meeting in June 2023, withdrawing their support of ABA for the treatment of autism. That title is not all it seems, and this week the gals dive into it.

We encourage you to read the handbook yourself, which has many updates for healthcare as a whole in the US.

This post from ICDL on Instagram also summarizes a lot of research calling ABA into question, noting the harm that his has done to autistic individuals, and opening the door for new evidence-based practices to receive support from the AMA as services for Autism (like music therapy, wooh!).

We know this is a large topic and would love to hear from you.

Join us in discussions over on Instagram to keep the conversation flowing - @coffeeandtheratea - or email us [email protected]

Here is the article from the National Clearinghouse on Autism that outlines current evidence-based practices for Autistic services, as of 2020.

*EDIT: Music Therapy is an evidence-based practice for 0-14, Alyssa had an error on the episode.

As a table of podcasters that includes music therapists and BCBAs, we are no stranger to fighting for your style of therapy to be understood. There are a lot of misconceptions, truths, and opportunities for growth in our professions.

In this episode, the gals deep dive into how to advocate and stand up for the work you love to do! We also mention the enneagram a lot. You can check out what enneagram number you are, here!

Want to keep the conversation flowing? Email us: [email protected] or DM us on instagram @coffeeandtheratea. We want to hear from you!

Are you...

Then this is the episode for you!

Alyssa and Noa dive into how they structure the hiring and interview process for prospective job candidates from cover letter to job offer! And... they're both currently hiring!

Check out the job details:

This episode is all about giving you a peak behind the curtain into why employers choose the steps they do when you're applying for a job.

It can also help guide you as a business owner in what steps to take to ensure qualified candidates are joining your team!

Have more questions about the interview and hiring process? Email us: [email protected] and we'd love to share more!

or DM us on instagram @coffeeandtheratea