Kara Kirsten, MA, MT-BC

Kara is a board-certified music therapist and Suzuki violin instructor. She is also a lyric coloratura soprano and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (performance, voice) from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. In addition, she completed an Master of Arts degree in Music Therapy from Immaculata University in Immaculata, Pennsylvania. Kara is also proficient in piano, guitar, and ukulele.

A believer in the accessibility of musical learning to all ages and levels of development, Kara has experience working in a broad range of music therapy settings, including educational, psychiatric, long-term care, and neurological. She sees the potential for the marriage of music therapy-based interventions and the Suzuki approach, as well as their utility with all ages and stages of life, and for her Master’s Project in Music Therapy, Kara developed a Suzuki-based program for adults with developmental trauma and PTSD for use in an inpatient and/or forensic setting. Formerly a Music Therapist at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton, New Jersey, Kara is currently a Doctoral (Psy.D) Candidate in Clinical Psychology at Immaculata University. She lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with her husband, their four human children, and their fur child of Deerhead Chihuahua descent, Yoda.