About Mj

About Mj

For Mj, music has never been simply something to listen to. It has always been a way of understanding the world, connecting with others, and returning to herself. Today, she brings together decades of musical training, clinical experience, and contemplative practice to create restorative experiences that support healing through sound, nervous system regulation, and reconnection with self.

Music has been at the heart of Mj's life since childhood. She began formal piano lessons at the age of eight and earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Centenary College of Louisiana, where her early love for the piano blossomed into a lifelong devotion to sound and musical expression. During her time at Centenary, she had the privilege of singing with the renowned Centenary College Choir, whose members serve as musical ambassadors, sharing performances throughout the United States and internationally.

Raised on the rich musical landscape of the 1970s and 1980s, Mj developed an eclectic appreciation for music that continues to shape her work today. Her listening spans classical, indie folk, jazz, alternative, rock, world music, and beyond. She remains endlessly curious, always exploring new artists and sounds that inspire reflection, creativity, and emotional connection.

Mj's professional journey into music therapy began at Arizona State University, where she completed her music therapy equivalency in 2009. There, she discovered the profound ways music could foster emotional expression, resilience, grief processing, and healing through improvisation, songwriting, and therapeutic relationship. As a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC), she provided individual and group music therapy for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities before expanding her work to adults living with serious mental illness and dual diagnoses at Arizona State Hospital.

Working alongside an interdisciplinary team of music, art, dance, and occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers, Mj witnessed the remarkable capacity of creative expression to support healing, even in the most complex circumstances. She is also a certified HealthRHYTHMS® Group Empowerment Drumming Facilitator and continues to share the connective power of rhythm through community drumming experiences.

In 2015, Mj earned her Master of Social Work from Arizona State University and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California in 2020. She is EMDR trained through the Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute and has extensive experience supporting individuals navigating trauma, attachment wounds, anxiety, grief, and life transitions. Years of clinical work deepened her understanding of the nervous system and ultimately inspired her to broaden her practice beyond traditional psychotherapy into sound-based experiences that cultivate restoration, regulation, embodiment, and a renewed sense of wholeness.

Mj's training as a Somatic Sound Practitioner includes certification with Andrea Cortez, MM, MT-BC, founder of Mind Body Music Center, along with studies in sonic science and cymatics with acoustic physicist John Stuart Reid. Drawing from both neuroscience and contemplative traditions, she creates immersive sound experiences designed to support relaxation, nervous system regulation, emotional balance, and deep rest for both humans and animals.

She considers this work sacred, honoring each person's unique healing journey with humility and deep respect. Whether through singing bowls, chimes, drums, voice, or silence itself, Mj believes sound can gently awaken the body's innate capacity for healing while creating space for emotional, physical, and spiritual renewal.

Beyond her professional work, Mj has always felt deeply connected to nature and animals. Growing up in Louisiana, she spent much of her childhood exploring woods, creeks, and open fields, developing a lifelong reverence for the natural world. Today, she enjoys quiet mornings outdoors, weekends at the dog beach, and sharing life with her miniature dachshund, Poppie, whose joyful spirit is a daily reminder of presence and play.

In her spiritual practice, Mj also works with Tarot and Oracle cards as tools for reflection, insight, and personal growth. Influenced by intuitive wisdom traditions, she offers readings that encourage self-discovery, illuminate patterns, and help individuals reconnect with their inner guidance. These sessions are offered not as prediction, but as invitations to deeper listening, clarity, and meaningful transformation.

At the heart of all Mj's work is a simple belief: healing begins when we create space to listen. Whether through music, sound, nature, psychotherapy, or quiet reflection, she is honored to accompany others as they rediscover their own inner wisdom, resilience, and capacity for transformation.