Faculty
Theresa Merrill, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI
Program Director
Associate Professor
Certified Academic Advisor (Music Therapy)
Clinical Supervisor
Bachelor of Music Therapy - Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC
Master of Music Therapy - Thompson River University, Vancouver, BC
Doctor of Philosophy - Music Education with Cognate in Music Therapy - Michigan State University
Dr. Merrill is a board certified music therapist with 30 years of clinical experience in Elder Care, End of Life Care, Treatment of Parkinson's Disease and Music Psychotherapy. She has been a music therapy educator for 15 years. Dr. Merrill is an advanced practitioner of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. She is a published author and travels around the world teaching music therapy and topics related to professional practice.
Debra Gombert, MA, MT-BC
Assistant Professor- Clinical Coordinator, Clinical Supervisor
Bachelor of Music Therapy- Eastern Michigan University
Master of Arts in Music Therapy- St. Mary’s of the Woods College
Prof. Gombert has over 10 years of clinical experience with various populations. Ms. Gombert currently works three days a week in the Farmington Public Schools delivering music therapy services to children age 3 to 26. The children she works with have diagnoses which include autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, moderate cognitive impairments, and severe / multiple impairments. She teaches on-line courses in the Distance Equivalency Music Therapy Program at St. Mary of the Woods College.
Jody Conradi Stark, PhD., MT-BC
Part Time Lecturer, Clinical Supervisor
Bachelor of Arts. Music Therapy – Colorado State University
M.A. Communication Media and Theater Arts/Administration- Eastern Michigan University
Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education- with Music Therapy Cognate- Michigan State University
Dr. Stark is Site Director of Music Therapy Clinical Services, MSU Community Music School- Detroit, and President of Creative Arts Therapies, Inc., a company she started in 1991 that provides contractual music, dance-movement, and art therapy services to agencies throughout Southeastern Michigan. She has over 30 years experience with various populations, including psychiatric, cognitively impaired, autism spectrum disorder, pre-primary impaired, at-risk children and youth, homeless veterans, and hospice.
Roberta Justice, MM, MT-BC, FAMI
Part Time Lecturer, Clinical Supervisor
Bachelor of Arts in Music, State University of New York College at Buffalo
Bachelor of Music in Therapy, Michigan State University
Master’s of Music Therapy, Western Michigan University
Prof. Justice brings 40+ years of clinical experience and supervision in school, community, inpatient, outpatient and partial hospital programs. She has taught at Eastern Michigan University for 14 years.
Justice has expertise and training in a variety of music, art and dance therapy techniques; a strong history of providing in-service training and leading personal growth workshops for other professionals, including the use of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music; nineteen years as successful clinical training supervisor in music therapy on both undergraduate and graduate levels; and four years on the Editorial Board for Music Therapy Perspectives, a professional music therapy journal.
Kristin Story, MS, MT-BC, FAMI
Part Time Lecturer, Research Instructor
Bachelor of Music, Music Therapy – University of Miami, Miami, FL
Master of Science, Music Therapy – Indiana University, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN
Prof. Story has been a music therapist since 1995, primarily working in the areas of psychiatric mental health, oncology and in private practice with adults. Prof. Story has been a music therapy educator in the capacity of part time lecturer or full time faculty since 2006. She is currently a PhD student in the Aalborg University Music Therapy Program in Denmark with a research focus on Women Veterans and PTSD.