Recently, my coworker Laura shared a great new Jason Mraz song, “Look For The Good”, with our team. It’s a beautiful song about looking for the good amidst troubling times in your life. I immediately realized that it might be beneficial for some of the people I work with, especially in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

I was able to collaborate with my supervisor Katey on a music therapy activity to go along with it. As all of our sessions now take place via Zoom or pre-recorded video, this activity was designed to be done by the participant on his/her own, instead of during a live, in person session. However, it can be modified to fit the needs of the people you work with.

I’d love to share that activity with you today!

Possible Goals Addressed:

• Strengthening positive coping skills
• Social skills
• Positive social interaction

Music Used:

Materials Needed:

• None

Application:

Play the song, live if possible or recorded if needed. Ask participants to consider the following things while listening:

• Where are you finding “the good”?
• What does “the good” mean to you?
• What parts of the lyrics stick out to you?
• How can we help other people see and experience “the good”?
• If you are facing something negative or a negative emotion, what can you do to cope?
  • This can be something like:
    • Comforting yourself through your five senses (something to touch, something to taste, something to hear, something to see, something to smell)
    • Using mindfulness skills to center and ground yourself
    • Taking a break
    • What are some other positive coping skills you can think of?
• This week, consider doing something to help someone else see “the good.”

I hope you are able to find a way to incorporate this activity into your practice. Although it was created for use during the COVID-19 pandemic, I plan to use it in my clinical work long after this current situation ends.

I hope you are staying healthy and safe right now. As always, thank you for reading and please let me know if you have any questions!

All the best,

Molly Robitaille