Music can be a powerful force in healing and wellness for children and adults.

A group of music therapists has written a book filled with methods that counselors and teachers can use to improve the lives of children.

The book is “Creative DBT Activities for Children Using Music,” co-authored by Deborah Spiegel, Suzanne Makary, Chelsea Steen, Lauren Bonavitacola, (213 pages; Jessica Kingsley Publishers; paperback, $27.95; ebook, $27.95; Kindle, $15.37; 2025).

The book is available through retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

DBT is an acronym for Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

The lessons in the book are categorized on the themes of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Each addresses one or more techniques, such as decreasing vulnerabilities, accumulating positives and acceptance.

A music recording, group chant, lyrics and other materials are used to start activities that might include dance, crafts, discussion and singing.

“It is for folks who think differently. It provides skills to resolve conflicts and make behaviors more effective,” says Suzanne Makary, a board-certified music therapist at St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Penn Foundation.

Makary works with an interdisciplinary team in the Partial Hospitalization Program.

“Dialectical means two opposing ideas come together for synthesis and balance. For example, lemonade can be both sweet and sour,” Makary of Allentown says.

An example of using opposing ideas is reacting with calmness, instead of anger, to a stressful situation. A key philosophy of DBT is promoting the two, often contradictory, goals of self-acceptance and working for inner change.

“Things are not just black or white. You want to accept who you are and accept the situation to change it. You want to connect with the present. Regret is in the past and anxiety is in the future,” Makary says in a phone interview.

Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment. Makary calls it “paying attention on purpose.” It is an ancient technique used in a modern context.

She says the book can be used by therapists, in classrooms and by parents.

Although most of the exercises are designed for groups, they can be honed down for individuals. They are designed for two levels based on the development of the child: the lower for kindergarten to second grade and the higher for third to sixth grade.

The book is a sequel to a book by Makary that is intended for teens and adults: “Creative DBT Activities Using Music: Interventions for Enhancing Engagement and Effectiveness in Therapy,” published in 2020.

Makary says the first book came together “with three music therapists brainstorming, with a lot of hours on the computer sharing documents.”

The “Creative DBT Activities for Children Using Music Therapy” authors include Deborah Spiegel, founder of the Spiegel Academy for online music therapy continuing education, and Lauren Bonavitacola, a clinical psychologist.

The use of music therapy has grown over the years since the first degree programs for it began around the middle of the last century. “There are now over 50 schools that provide certification for it,” says Makary.

She says the former Allentown State Hospital was a leader in music therapy: “It was not called that back then, but it was used for returning World War I and II veterans.”

The British Journal of Occupational Therapy states that music was introduced in the hospital for training in 1922, and in 1927 a department of music was created with a full-time director.

Makary has seen new problems for children but also signs of hope in her 26 years at St. Luke’s:

“The challenges are different now. Today, computer and phone screens can be a distraction from working on issues, and can cause problems with addiction, challenging self-esteem and bullying. Boundaries on social media need to be set, and we should use it in a healthy way.

“But today, emotional problems are less stigmatized. And there are social workers in schools who were not there 30 years ago.”

Music therapy can help, not only in education but for stress and anxiety relief, dealing with chronic pain and for cognitive issues of older adults.

According to the St. Luke’s Penn Foundation website, Music therapy has been an integral part of St. Luke’s Penn Foundation’s adolescent and adult Partial Hospitalization Programs since 1997.

St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, with 35 inpatient and outpatient programs at more than 15 locations, is the largest fully-integrated network of mental health and addiction treatment services in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com