Who We Are

Joy Allen

Acting Director, Berklee Music and Health Institute; Chair, Music Therapy Department

Joy Allen joined Berklee as chair of the Music Therapy Department in August 2016. She is an accomplished clinician, supervisor, researcher, teacher, and administrator with extensive experience in psychological health, pain management, and the family system. Allen has expertise working with children, adolescents, and adults with mental health issues, applying a family systems approach. She is particularly passionate about working with individuals and families facing chronic illnesses, including cancer. Her current research interests include quantitative analysis of the effects of music therapy on the psychological health of medical patients, guided imagery and music with medical patients, and medical music therapy theory development and efficacy. She comes to Berklee from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she served as coordinator of music therapy and as an associate professor.