Alison Wendel

E-mail: awendel.hsusdc@state.ut.us

Ms. Alison Wendel is a Board Certified Music Therapist (NOCA/NCCA) who currently works at the Utah State Developmental Center. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University. Her most extensive experience with the medical community comes from her clinical internship at the University Hospitals of Cleveland under Deforia Lane Ph.D., MT-BC. While there, she participated in a research study concerning guided music relaxation, levels of anesthesia, and post-operative recovery for surgical patients. She also provided hospice counseling for parents and children, facilitated after-death counseling, hosted the pediatric closed-circuit television show for the Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, worked in the adult general surgical and oncology wards, and was the first music therapist to co-treat with the head physical therapist in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

In 1996, Ms. Wendel obtained funding from the Utah Very Special Arts Act to work with special education and behavior disorder students in their self-contained classrooms. She has also contracted with Garden Terrace Center for Alzheimers Excellence, and worked with the female offenders at the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center. During her career, she has co-treated various medical professionals, including certified child life specialists; physical, occupational, respiratory, and art therapists; and social workers.

Ms. Wendel is committed to raising the awareness of music therapy in Utah. She has done this by way of various lectures and presentations including lectures to the U.S.U. student association in 1996; to Salt Lake area AP students in 1997; to the Therapeutic Recreation Conference in April 1998; and more recently, to the Utah State Developmental Center's parent committee, where she explained the benefits of music therapy for adults with disabilities. She is also a seasoned presenter for music therapy conferences and seminars, where she presents some of the various treatment techniques that she has developed.

Recognition for music therapy has also come by way of her current position with the Utah State Developmental Center. In the summer of 2000, the Mental Retardation Association of Utah (MRAU) featured her in the President's Message of their newsletter for her work with the individuals at the center. Through her efforts, her contract position, which was in danger of being terminated, was reclassified to be a full-time state job. As a certified Clinical Training Director for music therapy students, she hopes to have an active internship cite set up with in the year.

Ms. Wendel has served in various leadership positions in the music therapy community. She is currently serving as the vice president of the Utah Association for Music Therapists (UAMT). Prior to that, she served as the treasurer of that organization for six years. Acting in these positions, she has organized state and national conferences and helped to increase the association's membership by 60 percent. Also, during the last seven years, UAMT has become a non-profit corporation and gained affiliation with the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association (UHA).

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