What Is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is one of those things that's hard to fully describe until you experience it — but we'll do our best.
It's not music lessons, and it's not entertainment. It's a genuine clinical therapy, delivered by registered, university-trained therapists, that uses music as a vehicle to help people reach real and meaningful goals. Whether that's helping a child find their voice, supporting someone through a mental health challenge, or bringing connection and calm to someone in aged care — music therapy meets people exactly where they are.
At Watagan Health Hub in Cooranbong, our Registered Music Therapists work with children, adults and older people across Lake Macquarie, Morisset, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and the Central Coast — both at our clinic and through mobile visits to your home, school or facility.
You don't need any musical ability. Sessions are tailored entirely to you or your family member. What we bring is the clinical training, the evidence base and the instruments. What matters most is you.
Who Can Benefit from Music Therapy?
Children & Young People
Music therapy for children is one of the most well-researched and effective allied health interventions available. Children in Lake Macquarie, Cooranbong, Morisset and the Hunter Valley who benefit from music therapy include those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, sensory processing differences, intellectual disability, and anxiety.
For pre-verbal or non-verbal children, music therapy provides a non-demanding, intrinsically motivating medium for communication, turn-taking and social engagement. For children with motor difficulties, rhythm-based activities support coordination and movement. For children with emotional and behavioural challenges, music therapy builds self-regulation strategies and confidence.
Sessions are play-based, joyful and entirely child-led within a therapeutic structure. Mobile visits are available at home, school and early learning centres across the region. No musical ability is required.
Adults
Many adults who come to music therapy have already tried other approaches. They might be navigating a mental health challenge, recovering from a stroke or brain injury, living with a neurological condition like Parkinson's disease, or simply looking for something that feels different — and actually helps.
Music therapy can offer that. For people who find it hard to put things into words, it creates a non-verbal, creative space for expression and release. For those with neurological conditions, music-based techniques provide measurable support for movement, speech and cognitive function. And for many people, it's simply a space that helps them feel a little more like themselves again.
Our AMTA-registered therapists work with adults across the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie and welcome NDIS (Category 15), private and Medicare EPC referrals.
Older Adults & Aged Care
Music has a way of reaching people that words sometimes can't. For older adults — especially those living with dementia — it can unlock long-held memories, ease distress and agitation, and create moments of genuine connection and joy, even on difficult days.
Watagan Health Hub provides mobile music therapy to home care clients and aged care facilities across the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie. Services can be funded through Home Care Packages (HCP), CHSP, DVA and private arrangement. For residential aged care facilities, we offer regular individual and group programs — contact us to talk about what that might look like for your facility or loved one.
Music therapy in aged care is supported by strong clinical evidence for its effectiveness in dementia, depression, anxiety, pain management and quality of life.
Conditions & Goals We Support
Watagan Health Hub's music therapy service supports a broad range of conditions and therapeutic goals across the lifespan:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — communication, social, sensory and behavioural goals
- ADHD — attention, regulation and engagement
- Developmental delay — early intervention across all developmental domains
- Cerebral palsy — motor, communication and quality of life
- Down Syndrome — communication and social participation
- Intellectual disability — adaptive behaviour, communication, social skills
- Anxiety and depression — emotional processing, regulation and wellbeing
- Trauma and PTSD — non-verbal emotional processing
- Acquired brain injury — motor, cognitive and communication rehabilitation
- Stroke rehabilitation — gait (RAS), aphasia (MIT), mood and quality of life
- Parkinson's disease — gait, motor, voice and mood
- Dementia — BPSD, quality of life, engagement and family connection
- Palliative care — comfort, meaning-making, legacy and family support
- Sensory processing differences — sensory regulation and tolerance
- Mental health — across all presentations and ages
How Music Therapy Works
Every music therapy journey at Watagan Health Hub begins with a conversation. Your Registered Music Therapist will take the time to understand you or your family member properly — your goals, your strengths, your challenges, and what matters most to you. For children, parents and carers are central to this process from the very start.
From there, a personalised therapy plan is developed with goals that are clear, meaningful and — for NDIS participants — fully compatible with your plan. Sessions are typically 45–60 minutes for adults and 30–45 minutes for young children, usually weekly or fortnightly depending on your goals and what works for your life.
Within sessions, music-making takes many forms — instrument play, vocalisation, movement, improvisation, songwriting — all shaped around your interests and responses. There's no performance involved, and no musical ability required. What happens in the room is guided entirely by what's most useful for you.
Sessions are available at our Cooranbong clinic or through mobile visits to your home, school, preschool or aged care facility. Our mobile service reaches across Lake Macquarie, Morisset, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and the Central Coast. Progress is tracked continuously, and written reports are provided for NDIS plans, GP records and aged care documentation at the frequency you need.
Meet Our Music Therapists
Tayla Weber
BMus, MCrMusTh (Dist), Registered Music Therapist (AMTA)
Tayla is one of those people who genuinely lights up a room — and a session. An accomplished musician with a background in music theatre and opera, she brings an infectious energy and creativity to her work that makes therapy feel less like an appointment and more like something to look forward to.
She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Creative Music Therapy (Distinction) from Western Sydney University, and is a Registered Music Therapist with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Tayla has been part of the Watagan family since 2020, working alongside our dental and allied health team with NDIS and private clients of all ages.
Whether she's working with a young child on communication goals, supporting an adult through a difficult period, or bringing music into an aged care setting, Tayla meets every client where they are. Her sessions are warm, responsive and always centred on what matters most to you and your family. She provides both clinic-based and mobile services across Lake Macquarie, Morisset and the Hunter Valley.
Ashleigh Campbell
BMus, MMusThrpy, Registered Music Therapist (AMTA)
Ashleigh is a warm and experienced music therapist with a background spanning mental health, disability, neurodiversity and aged care settings. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music Therapy from the University of Melbourne, and is a Registered Music Therapist with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA).
What sets Ashleigh apart is her ability to meet clients on their own terms. She takes the time to understand what matters to each person and builds therapy around their strengths, their interests and their goals — not just their diagnosis. Her approach is collaborative, unhurried and deeply human.
Ashleigh has particular experience working with adults, including those navigating mental health challenges, neurological conditions, acquired brain injury and the unique demands of aged care. She provides both clinic-based and mobile services across Lake Macquarie, Morisset and the Hunter Valley, and is available to take on new clients now.
Accessing Music Therapy
NDIS Funding
Music therapy is funded under the NDIS through Support Category 15 — Capacity Building: Improved Daily Living. The relevant line items are 15_615_0128_1_3 for participants aged 9 and over, and 15_615_0118_1_3 for participants under 9.
Watagan Health Hub accepts self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed NDIS participants. For plan-managed participants, provide your plan manager's details and we will invoice them directly. For agency-managed participants, we claim directly through the NDIS portal after each session.
We provide all required NDIS documentation: initial assessment report, therapy plan with NDIS-compatible goals, session progress notes and formal review reports at the frequency specified in your plan. If music therapy is not yet in your plan, it can be requested at your next plan review — our therapists can provide a supporting letter. Read our detailed NDIS music therapy guide for the full funding process.
Private Clients
Private clients can access music therapy at Watagan Health Hub without a referral. No GP letter or specialist report is required.
To book, visit our online booking page or call (02) 4977 1222. Private health insurance extras typically cover music therapy — check with your fund about your specific entitlements. Invoices are provided for insurance claiming.
Aged Care Funding
Music therapy for older adults is accessible through Home Care Packages (HCP Levels 1–4), the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), DVA for eligible veterans and their partners, and private self-funding.
For residential aged care facilities, we offer facility-funded partnership arrangements for regular individual and group programs. Contact us on (02) 4977 1222 or email info@wataganhealthhub.com.au to discuss arrangements for your facility or family member.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral to access music therapy?
No. NDIS participants can self-refer directly. Private clients require no referral. A GP or specialist letter may support an NDIS plan review request but is not required to book.
Does my child need musical ability?
No. Music therapy requires no prior musical ability or experience at any age. The music is a therapeutic tool, not a performance medium. Sessions are designed around each individual's preferences and responses.
Where are sessions held?
Sessions are available at our clinic at 644 Freemans Drive, Cooranbong, or as mobile visits to your home, your child's school or preschool, or an aged care facility. Our mobile service extends approximately one hour from Cooranbong across Lake Macquarie, Morisset, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and the Central Coast.
How long is each session?
Sessions are typically 45–60 minutes for adults and adolescents, and 30–45 minutes for young children. Initial assessments may be slightly longer.
How often should sessions occur?
Weekly sessions are most common during intensive goal-focused phases. Fortnightly sessions suit many clients for maintenance phases. Your therapist will recommend a frequency based on your assessment findings and goals.
What NDIS documentation do you provide?
We provide: initial assessment report, therapy plan with NDIS-compatible goals, progress notes after every session, and a formal review report at the frequency specified in your plan (typically every 6 or 12 months).
Can music therapy be used alongside other allied health services?
Yes. Music therapy is frequently used alongside speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology and other health services. Our therapists communicate with other treating professionals where consent is provided.
Register Your Interest in Music Therapy
