JOHN MEWS - LMFT, NMT
John Mews
LMFT, NMT
Owner & Founder - Mewsic Moves 2004
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Neurologic Music Therapist
Special Needs Family & Parenting Coach
Supervisor for Music Therapy Students
Working with families of children with special needs is near and dear to my heart. Growing up I spent a lot of time with an uncle who had special needs. My parents taught me to love him unconditionally and to see the potential in him. He was an integral, active and loving part of our family. I was often surprised at how people judged and viewed him as being different. He was able to do many things that you wouldn't expect he could do. Perhaps that is why I'm always looking for the highest potential in all my clients.
I have been working with families and children with special needs for the past 15 years. After I completed my bachelor's degree in Music Therapy, I started my own private practice. Over the years I have witnessed the amazing power of music to transform lives and relationships for the better.
I believe that most children with special needs see themselves as being different, and feel stressed and overwhelmed by everyone trying to "fix" them. My approach is to build confidence early on by leveraging each child's individual gifts and strengths. This helps to ensure that goals and objectives can be achieved as quickly and effectively as possible.
In 2010, I completed my masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. I wanted to expand my practice to support the whole family. I believe that if the family unit is healthy, the child with special needs will be healthy as well. Families with children who have special needs are often stressed, broken and feel isolated. I believe that supporting these families is critically important to the success and well-being of the child.
In 2013, I moved my practice from Vancouver to sunny southern California. In addition to working with children I have began supporting clients in treatment facilities who struggle with the daily challenges of addiction, eating disorders and mental health.
I love to share my passion for music therapy and its many benefits. I have given workshops and have been a guest speaker at numerous conferences in the US and Canada. I hope you'll stay in touch! Join my mailing list here and I'll send you my blogs and videos with tips on how to make life a little easier with mewsic/music.