Lisa is a lifelong professional musician who discovered her passion for music therapy midlife and subsequently pursued it as a new career path. She graduated from Fairfield University in 1992 with a BA in English Literature and holds an MAT in Music K-12 from Manhattanville College. While raising her family, Lisa spent several years working as an accompanist, music director, and substitute music teacher at her children's school, St. Luke's in New Canaan.

In 2022, Lisa completed an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Music Therapy from Lesley University. She is now a board-certified music therapist and licensed professional counselor associate. Her clinical training occurred at Silver Hill Hospital, where she facilitated group sessions across residential, executive, and outpatient programs for adolescents and adults. After graduation, she continued to provide music therapy at Silver Hill Hospital before taking a two-year hiatus to focus on family and serve on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit community theater in Ridgefield, CT.

Lisa brings a creative, client-centered approach to assessment and therapy, rooted in both verbal and nonverbal expression. Music is central to many people's lives and identities. Music therapy uses musical experiences to promote mindfulness, emotional expression, anxiety reduction, brain stimulation, and communication. During assessment, therapists observe clients' engagement with music to evaluate their emotional, cognitive, physical, and social well-being. Techniques such as active listening, improvisation, and lyric analysis help the client and therapist collaborate to identify issues, determine goals, and support healing, making music therapy a valuable complement to other therapeutic modalities.

Lisa is pleased to join the team at KAI and looks forward to supporting clients on their therapeutic journeys.