DARKE COUNTY — On October 24, State of the Heart Care board certified music therapist Ashlee Slavin will travel to Chicago where she will present to the Moyer Foundation Bereavement Camp Conference. The mission of the Moyer Foundation is to provide comfort, hope and healing to children and families who are suffering through grief, and also has various resources on grief camps.

Slavin, who is the director of State of the Heart’s annual grief camp for children Camp Encourage, is presenting information on the importance of music therapy during the grieving process.

“My goal is to educate the Moyer Foundation’s conference attendees on music therapy, and the differences between music therapy and regular, unstructured music during grief camps,” Slavin said.

She will also describe the benefits of music therapy and demonstrate various music therapy interventions based on the age range of campers.

“Research has shown that music therapy can be beneficial for everyone, no matter what age they are,” Slavin continues. “The music therapy interventions implemented for six year olds is obviously going to be vastly different than the music therapy interventions implemented for young adults, because of the contrast in maturity levels.”

Slavin will be given 75 minutes to present to the foundation. “I am passionate in enlightening others on the benefits of music therapy so that it can become an even more prominent technique in grief support.”