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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Expressive Therapist - Music Therapist - Children's Hospital

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 2h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Position Title

Expressive Therapist - Music Therapist - Children's Hospital

Department: Child Life Program

Job Description

Under the direction of Child Life, Integrative and Creative Care this role provides foundational clinical expressive therapy services for patients and families by using expressive modalities as tools to help them attain and maintain their maximum levels of functioning and coping in the area of physical, cognitive, communication and social/emotional health during hospitalization or residential programs. Program planning will be designed to reduce stress, increase adaptive coping, provide normalization, promote social interaction and support developmental integrity through expressive experiences and interventions in a safe environment.

Essential Responsibilities

Responsibilities listed in this section are core to the position. Inability to perform these responsibilities with or without an accommodation may result in disqualification from the position.

Will assess and prioritize patient needs through referrals and patient review process.

Identify interventions based on patient assessment, match techniques to developmental, emotional, physical and social needs of patients and families.

Provide expressive therapy, through a multitude of modalities, interventions designed to meet patients' physical or psychological needs.

Inform and educate patients and families on the use of expressive therapy techniques to support health coping and normal growth and development.

Involve family members in expressive therapy services per assessment including teaching skills and resources for transition to home.

Implement and document patient care plans; communicate plans and outcomes to others.

Provide expressive therapy programming to complement work in meeting the psychosocial and developmental needs of patients and families.

Provide individual and group sessions to fulfill therapeutic objectives, including but not limited to: anxiety reduction, pain management, developmental stimulation, alternative means of expression/communication, positive coping techniques, procedural support, quality of life and family/patient support.

  • Identify and educate appropriate expressive therapy resources for each patient and family.
  • Participate in interdisciplinary team planning and co-treating.
  • Monitor patient progress and remain adaptive in plan of care.
  • Incorporate expressive therapy in development of patient's self-awareness and expression, coping skills, sense of well-being and social behavior.
  • Provide educational in-services for patients and families as well as staff members.
  • Supports the training and supervision of students and volunteers related to expressive therapy.

General Responsibilities

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Education Requirements
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy or its equivalent from an AMTA-Approved Program

Experience Requirements

Completed a supervised internship & meets the AMTA Professional Competencies with preferred experience in healthcare settings.

License/Certification/Registration Requirements

Current Basic Life Support issued by the American Heart Association required with in 30 days of start date.

Music Therapist Board Certified (MT-BC) and Licensed Professional Music Therapist (LPMT) required within 90 days of hire

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities Requirements

  • Working knowledge of expressive therapies and impact to patients and families.
  • Must have knowledge of the theories of expressive therapy, best practices, family systems, cultural awareness and human growth and development.
  • Must have effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Ability to work with an interdisciplinary team.
  • Skill in the supervision of students and volunteers.
  • Must have good interpersonal skills to develop effective working relationships and to deal with difficult family/individual dynamics.
  • Knowledge of performance improvement tools and how to monitor an ongoing process.
  • Skill in planning programs and analyzing the problems that arise.
  • Good presentation skills for representing the department to internal and external audiences.
  • Computer skills and a general knowledge of office procedures.
  • Must be self motivated and able to problem solve both independently and in a team setting.

This is a Safety Sensitive position under 63 0. S. 427.8 and is subject to a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol standard in compliance with Oklahoma law.

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OU Health is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including PTO, 401(k), medical and dental plans, and many more. We know that a total benefits and compensation package, designed to meet your specific needs both inside and outside of the work environment, create peace of mind for you and your family.

Key Responsibilities

Provide foundational clinical expressive therapy services to patients and families to support physical, cognitive, and social-emotional health during hospitalization. Develop and implement therapeutic care plans, including individual and group sessions, to facilitate coping, stress reduction, and developmental integrity.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from an AMTA-approved program and completion of a supervised internship. Candidates must obtain MT-BC and LPMT certifications within 90 days of hire and maintain current BLS certification.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Interdisciplinary team collaborationCrisis interventionDocumentationPatient educationFamily supportProblem solving

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 28% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Oklahoma is 87.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.9% of Oklahoma clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedMental Health Therapy median $70k (middle half $60k–$83k)267 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingOklahoma index 87.8US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in Oklahoma107 active7,467 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 50% remote · 28% no call · 64% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedOklahoma counselor listings (all specialties): 23% state a sign-on bonus (median $8k) · 28% offer loan repayment132 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Therapy listings2,512 in the last 30 days1,354 the 30 days before (+86%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

28 jobs
10
<$75k
10
$75k-95k
4
$95k-115k
4
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

28 jobs
401k / retirement match
75% this job
CME allowance
61%
Sign-on bonus
39%
Loan repayment
25%
PSLF eligible
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,558 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Oklahoma City

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$209k
Typical market rent
$1,285/mo
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
90.4
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026).

BEA 2024 · Oklahoma City, OK metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.