Beth Blankship holds a guitar

Beth Blankenship, MT-BC

This quarter, we are proud to feature Beth Blankenship, MT-BC. Beth currently serves as the Fair Salary Committee Chair, and has recently taken on the role of Internship Program Chair as well.

Where do you work and who are your clients?
I work at Helping Hand Center in Countryside, IL with children and adults with developmental disabilities.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is probably seeing how the many different genres of music reach each client in such unique ways. When working with both children and adults, a typical day could include playing Johnny Cash one hour to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry the next!

What inspired you to become a music therapist?
I have two big passions for helping people and for music. Music therapy is the perfect combination of those two things.

What do you do for self-care?

For self-care, I really enjoy going on bike rides and walks. I also really enjoy playing music with my husband, painting my nails, spending time on Pinterest, and spending time with family and friends.

What’s one piece of advice you have for students or new therapists in the field?

A piece of advice that I would offer to students and new professionals would be to keep learning and growing in areas related to the music therapy field. When I finished my internship, I worked as a case manager for a year and that was a great learning experience and a huge stepping stone to my position at Helping Hand today.