Youth and Family Focus Inc

Adelle Rist from Youth and Family Focus Inc was a guest-speaker today and she brought along one of her contracted facilitators; Allison Davies a Music Therapist.

Youth & Family Focus Inc. (YAFF) is a community based Not for Profit organisation located in Devonport which facilitates a range of services to the North West Coast of Tasmania. They offer assistance with accommodation and transitional support for youth in the community that do not get adequate support and care at home. YAFF is primarily funded by the National Illicit Drug Strategy, and the services are typically free and confidential. YAFF has access to an extensive network of specialists ranging from detox centres, to the education department, schools, mental health, and social workers. Adelle herself is a trained Youth Alcohol and Drug education worker, and does group work at 'The Zone' in town. The Zone acts as an alternate education venue for youth that do not work well in the standard school environments, and other young people that need support. Individual clients are often seen in the Red Brick building in Oldaker street where family and individual support is provided for health and drug related issues and more.

Another service Adele mentioned was the iparty II program which is an interactive alcohol, drug and sex education seminar held towards the end of the school year for Year 10 students in their schools. It teaches students in their own 'language' to make good choices, and to allay fears of calling ambulance or police when necessary.

Allison Davies enlightened us on Music Therapy. She completed a combined Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Teaching at the University of New England and a Master of Music Therapy at the University of Queensland. She provides musical intervention with the aim of therapeutic outcomes. She does this through lyric analysis, song and dance and other music related activities. She has worked with people ranging from pre-birth to 107 years of age. She conducts anger management courses for 13-17 year old boys and self esteem classes with girls in the same age bracket. Both with the intention of crime prevention. As all teenagers like music, music being a form of self expression and identity, she is able to provide therapy through implementation of music and musical instruments. Music is not seen a s a threatening media, especially by easily intimidated youth or psychiatric patients. Music enables Allison to loosen tongues and hence discuss deep issues that are hard to talk about. Drumming for instance is a great instrument for self expression when people refuse to talk, it releases pent up energy and brings out repressed emotions, resulting in the subjects feeling much relieved at the end of each session with Allison.

Six nursing homes in the North West now have a regular music therapy program. In the elderly it can stimulate memory retention and recall, but her therapy also has therapeutic benefits to people with autism, Down Syndrome, victims of sexual abuse, but also in children's wards and burns units in hospitals. It was a very interesting topic to learn about.