Amy Clements-Cortes
President
World Federation of Music Therapy
Canada
Biography
Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes , Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Music and Health Research Collaboratory; Music Therapy Instructor & Graduate Supervisor, Wilfrid Laurier University; and Senior Music Therapist/Practice Advisor, Baycrest Centre, Toronto. She is a Registered Psychotherapist, President of the World Federation of Music Therapy, Managing Editor of the Journal of Music and Medicine, and Board Member for the Room 217 Foundation. She has served as a President and Internship Chair for the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT). She is published in multiple journals and has given over 100 invited academic and conference presentations.
Research Interest
My main areas of research include:
1.Use of music therapy and expressive arts in support of healthy aging, mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan including palliation;
2.Improving health (e.g. promoting sleep and relaxation, reducing pain) and healthcare environments through music, technology, product & program development; and
3.Improving the quality of professional education through program evaluation, ethics review and clinical supervision.
My past research has explored the application of music and music therapy techniques in alleviating emotional distress (e.g. anxiety, grief, pain and relationship completion in palliative care and rehabilitation).I have also studied the application of music, singing and electronic music technologies toward new product and program development (e.g. Guidelines for implementing choirs for persons with dementia).