Testimonials, Selected (see related Services).

CLINICAL WORK

Didi Wijbenga

Founder/CEO at AIM (Artists in Motion, NJ). Didi was Prof./Dr. Goodman’s client for two years. Comment below posted June 2011.

• I have not thought in the past that I could be an artist. I am slowly discovering that happiness can be found in more than one of life's passions. Sharing music with persons with emotional challenges and we all have those challenges at times, can be so rewarding. Karen is such a caring mentor on my way to better mental/emotional wellness.

EDUCATOR, SUPERVISOR

Evangeline Kelly, MT-BC

Singer, Harpist, Composer, Music Therapist, Actor (SAG-AFTRA). Evangeline and Prof./Dr. Goodman studied together over four years. Comment below posted July 2009.

• Karen Goodman was both my professor and also a practicum supervisor. She is a wonderful professor, very caring and interested in helping students grow and succeed. She also is an excellent clinician, and I learned so much observing her work with students with severe developmental disabilities.

Sandi Hammond

Owner, Hammond Arts and Wellness , www. sandihammond.com

LMHC/Music Therapy Intern, Italian Home for Children, Brighton-Allson Mental Health Association, Masters Degree student, Lesley College, Cambridge, Ma., LMHC, 2025

•  I sought out Karen for supervision and support during my Master's program in Music Therapy at Lesley University.  Not only did she give me excellent overall professional guidance, but she was able to  help me develop robust treatment plans for several clients at my internship site, while also deftly attuning to me and adapting to my communication style and way of working. She was able to deliver insightful feedback in a way that I could really hear. I felt safe with Karen clinically and musically and have since sought her out for additional professional guidance and supervision. I recommend her to anyone working in expressive arts therapy/creative arts therapy field.

Geoffrey Newman, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus, College of the Arts, Montclair State University

• Dr. Karen Goodman was one of my music therapy faculty during the time I was Dean of the College of the Arts at Montclair State University. I am proud to say that she was one of the faculty leaders during my time as Dean. Students not only learned wonderful pedagogy but also tremendous skill training from her.  Her classes, according to student feedback which I solicited each year, were highly informative, motivational, and inciteful. Students spoke of her extensive knowledge of her field in addition to her great connections with working professionals. As a colleague, she was wonderful to work with, always providing helpful feedback, collaborative positive points of view and stimulating thoughts regardless of the challenge being explored. She was a greatly valued member of the music faculty, the College of the Arts and the university.

PROGRAM DESIGN

Nicholas Bratcher, DME, Director, School of Visual and Performing Arts, Sharon Griffith Turrentine Endowed Super Chair in Visual and Performing Arts 

Professor of Music & Director of Bands , University of Louisiana Monroe

• Karen was very knowledgeable and engaging as a consultant for our music therapy program. She was innovative and flexible to take our specialized curriculum into consideration and craft what could be one of the strongest programs in our state. Her attention to detail and strong communication skills were crucial during our deadlines and development. I would definitely work with her again.

EDITING

Simon Gilbertson, PhD, Associate Professor, GAMUT, Bergen, Norway, 2023.

• As the editor of my past book-chapter contributions (Goodman, 2023), Karen provided excellent editorial guidance based on her critical reading and knowledge of diverse techniques and genres. It has been a pleasure working with Karen because of her sensitivity for the needs of the writing process together with personal encouragement and critique. Karen manages this balance from early conceptual phases, through the first draft and re-writing phase, to the final print version and beyond. I am grateful for Karen’s editorial support and coaching –through which I have learnt skills that are valuable and relevant in a wide range of my writing projects.

Kirsi Tuomi, PhD., University of Jyväskylä, 2022

• Karen edited my PhD in an extremely careful and precise but yet warm manner. Her way of working was very dialogical and she was open to asking about and discussing different viewpoints. She presented high standards both when it came to my content and the English grammar. She was truly reliable which made it possible to hold the planned time schedule. I can warmly recommend her editing services to anyone who is finalizing his/her theses, scientific articles or a book..

WRITING

Clive Robbins DMM, MT-BC, Adjunct Clinical Professor, Founding Director Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University. January 2008

•  “There is a symphonic-like flow of subject matter as themes appear then reappear and develop in later chapters. The author’s device of introducing case studies wherever relevant repeatedly ventilates the academic bearing of the subject matter and re-grounds the text in the realities and values of human needs. I know of no other music therapy instructional text like this, one that explores so extensively the practical and professional issues contingent on actually doing music therapy. “

Dolores Nicoll, Psy.D. / The Arts in Psychotherapy / 2008

• “A stunning representation and description of who the children are and their joy, responsiveness and accomplishment from the groupwork...a complex and successful journey where the writing is fluid and understandable. “

Carolyn Arnason, DA, MTA / Canadian Journal of Music Therapy / 2012

•  “She communicates directly with the reader, with a vitality and professional style that engages one in a dialogue of thoughts and ideas.”