I am an enthusiastic, committed, and professional individual, passionate about music therapy and its ability to impact mental health and well-being.

As a therapist with 19 years of experience, I place trauma-informed practice at the centre of my work. I have worked with a wide range of clients and specialise in learning disability and mental health.

I am involved with training and education and hold roles as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Derby, the University of the West of England and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. I am a mentor with the Newly Qualified Music Therapists program with the British Association for Music Therapy.

I am an IDEA consultant (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility) and deliver training workshops on racial equity and privilege to local and national organisations.

email: davina@wamonster.org
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Hi all. I’m a musician, music therapist and antiracist and social justice activist from Singapore, based in London, UK. I received my music therapy training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and am now a visiting lecturer on Antiracism, Social Justice and Cultural Humility in Music Therapy. I qualified in 2019 and co-founded the We Are Monster Network in 2022. My great passion is to shatter the stigmas around confronting racism and other social oppressions within our profession, from its wider audiences to its dustiest corners. The time we are living in no longer affords us the comfort of ignoring the casualties of systemic injustice and oppression.

I am also the co-head of the Research Network for the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT), and I sat on the programming committee for the last BAMT Conference in 2024, helping to shape it into one of the most dynamic and diverse conferences the profession has ever seen.

Alongside my private practice, I currently work with a pro-Palestinian collective, offering healing justice sessions and mental health support for solidarity workers, as well as direct peer-to-peer support to Palestinians in Gaza. I also founded the Music Therapists in Solidarity group, which raises awareness and funds for historically oppressed peoples. My practice is anti-oppressive, integrative, psychodynamic, and empowerment-based. I am proud to be a fiercely dedicated co-founder and caretaker of the We Are Monster network for and with all of our beautiful members.

email: michaela@wamonster.org
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PERSONAL PROFILE:
A compassionate music therapist with years of clinical experience in medical, special education, and mental health. Skilled in delivering music therapy in individual, group, and online formats.

A creative and diligent researcher, with research interests in the intersections of culture, music, and health. Broader research interests include social prescribing; culture, arts and health; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Excellent communication skills - delivering presentations and workshops to a wide audience.

A passionate educator with experience teaching undergraduate and graduate level coursework. Also experienced in supervising students and mentoring junior therapists and therapy assistants.

BIOGRAPHY:
I read sociology and psychology at Singapore Management University. It was there that my passion for people and music grew. I volunteered with the Singapore Red Cross Society and the Singapore Association for the Deaf, and performed at big venues and events such as the Esplanade and Mosaic Music Festival. A pivotal moment happened when I performed at the charity concert, "From Singapore with Love", which raised funds for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Following that performance, I realized that I wanted to apply music more meaningfully in people's lives. In my research, I found music therapy. I applied and was accepted into Berklee College of Music in 2012, and I never regretted my decision ever since.

After graduating from Berklee in 2015, I turned down a prestigious opportunity to study at Harvard, and decided to deepen my music therapy practice at a humble liberal arts college, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2016. I worked in various organisations including AdventHealth Orlando in the U.S. (medical), Singapore Management University (research/education), the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore (mental health), and Extraordinary People Limited in Singapore (charity/special education). My clinical experience, working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, was the impetus for my research interests in culture, music, and health. Subsequently, I embarked on my doctoral studies at the University of Sheffield in 2021 to investigate the intersections of culture, music, and health.

email: jaytee@wamonster.org
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