For Donielle Montgomery, music is a source of connection.
“Almost anywhere you go, you can hear music being played somewhere,” she says.
Since she was eight, Donielle’s passion for music has been supported by her parents and godparents. Surrounded by musicians in her family, she learned to play the piano, joined her school’s concert and jazz band, and learned to play the bass guitar.
“I wasn’t sure where my experience would lead me until I discovered music therapy,” Donielle admits.
After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music, she began her master’s degree in music therapy at Sam Houston State University, where she discovered her affinity for working with people in behavioral health settings. Donielle completed her music therapy internship at Laurel Ridge Treatment Center in San Antonio, Texas. She now works at Houston Methodist Hospital as the music therapist on the Surgical and Liver Intensive Care Unit (SLICU).
“Is it the most rewarding job I’ll ever have? Absolutely,” Donielle says. “We have the privilege of building rapport with patients at a level not possible for most unit staff.”
Donielle provides music therapy to patients and their family members on the SLICU.
Many SLICU patients stay for longer periods of time at the hospital, and the long lengths of stay combined with the difficulties of medical treatment can be taxing for both patients and their family members, who often serve as both caregivers and supporters. That’s why Donielle decided to start a music-based support group on the SLICU dedicated specifically to patients’ family members and caregivers.
“The intention of the support group is to offer a safe space for family members and caregivers to unwind, form a sense of community among their peers, obtain tools for coping through hospitalization of their loved ones, and enhance the communication and trust between unit staff and family members,” says Donielle.
The support group is facilitated by Donielle, along with a chaplain (a trained professional who provides spiritual support) and a social worker (a licensed clinician who assists with psychosocial needs). They work together to provide a space for patients’ family members to share about and alleviate struggles common to caregiving on the SLICU.
Facilitating the group and engaging with caregivers outside of the patients’ rooms has helped Donielle better understand the difficulties of caregiving for patients, especially before and after receiving a transplant. These struggles can be difficult to share, so Donielle is working with other SLICU staff members to identify family members who may benefit from attending the support group early in the transplant process. She is also working on a staff supportive initiative to provide live music on the SLICU.
In her time at Houston Methodist, Donielle has collaborated with multiple members of the Center for Performing Arts Medicine’s large creative arts therapy team to provide the highly individualized care for each patient, and she is a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council.
“The high standard and diverse culture throughout the hospital has only boosted my passion for music therapy and more specifically, my passion for the transplant population,” says Donielle. “I look forward to working with staff throughout the hospital to improve our culture of family-centered care.”
