Therapeutic Services

For information about getting help in a crisis please click here

Music Therapy

At Hymhus, Community Music Therapist, Alice Ritch MSc provides a range of specialist therapeutic services.

Alice is a health professional registered with the HCPC (Health & Care Profession’s Council) and BAMT (British Association for Music Therapy).

Learn more about Music therapy at hymhus

Support for Parents

Parenting is emotional work! All parents deserve support with this hugely important and challenging job.

We offer various blocks of classes and workshops:

Learn more about support for parents

IFS Psychotherapy

Internal Family Systems is a powerful and respectful form of psychotherapy, based on the idea that our minds are made of multiple parts - our internal family.

If you’ve seen the film Inside Out, that’s a good introduction to this model!

Boosting confidence and creativity are especially relevant in IFS as it gives people an opportunity to explore their inner critics.

Learn more about IFS at Hymhus

Trauma Informed

What happens to us matters. Bigton Collective is strongly committed to a trauma sensitive approach to all our activities.

At Hymhus we are passionate about providing a welcoming space which everyone can benefit from. We believe in therapeutic services that are embedded in the community, that honour the whole person, their history and context and that allow each of us to forge our own paths towards healing and wellbeing at a pace that suits us.

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • We would normally suggest that you get in touch first for an initial chat or free 15 min online consultation to discuss your needs and to see if Alice is someone you would like to work with. Email: aliceritch@proton.me

    You can book an IFS Session directly on our IFS page. Scroll down for the booking form.

    You can also book a parenting consultation directly on this page.

    To make a music therapy referral please email:
    musictherapyshetland@proton.me

  • Some of our groups are free - for example our Under the Surface workshops for parents were externally funded. Sign up to our online hub to keep up-to-date with group sessions.

    Individual therapy sessions range from £45 - £65 depending on the length of session and what type of service you are accessing.

    Many of our music therapy clients access direct payments to support their sessions: adults.

    Community Connections can offer support and advice about direct payments.

    We believe therapeutic services should be accessible to everyone and are working hard to develop our funding streams so we can offer a more subsidised service. Please get in touch if your financial situation is a barrier to accessing the service you need. We will not judge you and there may be ways we can help.

  • This is an important question and one which we aim to speak through with all clients.

    Everyone is different and will have a unique relationship to the Hymhus community and specific needs.

    Some people are happy for people to know they (or a family member) are attending music therapy and can also schedule their visit to integrate with group activities.

    For others, privacy is important and they might prefer to visit more discreetly at a quiet time.

    We will do everything we can to help you feel comfortable and relaxed about coming and protect your privacy. We know people in Shetland like to know what people are up to (!) so we can also discuss the story you might want to share if someone asks why you are in Bigton.

    There are many reasons why people come to Hymhus if coming for 'therapy' or 'support' feels like it has stigma attached.

    It is normal to be sensitive about these things and we are always happy to speak through details such as where to park, whether any of the other Hymhus staff will be around or which door you would like to use etc.

  • This depends on the age and needs of each person but generally speaking a music therapy session will last between 30 - 50 mins.

    An IFS session or parenting consultation is usually 50 mins.

  • Again, this is can vary considerably from person to person.

    It may be that you are looking for a few coaching sessions to explore a particular parenting challenge or someone might book three IFS sessions to work with a specific inner critic or creative block.

    For some clients, music therapy provides an important and regular outlet for their emotional wellbeing and can be an ongoing commitment for many years.

    For some clients a block of 16 sessions can lead to group opportunities or they might come back in future to revisit themes they have explored in the therapeutic relationship.

    There is no magic formula but we will do our best to find what is most suitable for each individual.

 Enquiries

For all enquiries related to therapeutic services please contact:

aliceritch@proton.me

 Privacy

We take your privacy very seriously. Confidentiality is especially important in a small community. We are very sensitive to the fact that everyone will have different needs and aim to keep an open dialogue with all our clients around confidentiality and making sure people feel respected and as safe as possible.

Please click here to view our privacy notice for therapeutic services.

Please let us know if you ever have any concerns about anything to do with your experience or how we store or use information.