The Cosumnes River College music department and mental health team held a workshop on Sept. 11 talking about the connections between mental health and music.

Mental health advocate Akaysia Hill, music Professor Kurt Erickson and mental health clinician supervisor Gilbert Gacilan talked about several ways music and mental health are interconnected.
Gacilan said music helps with “healing trauma, building resilience, empowerment, advocacy, social change, fostering social connection and support.”

Hill said music can be used to release emotions, reflect on oneself and create a sense of community.
One example that was shared was the song “Superwoman” by Alicia Keys.

This song is an example of how music can be used, “for empowerment, advocacy and change,” Hill said.

According to data published in 2021 by the National Institute of Mental Health, 34% of people ages 18-25 have had a type of mental illness in the United States with 45% of those people seeking mental health services.

“What made me want to attend the event was wanting to better my mental health, and find out what resources are out there,” said 20-year-old music major Anaya Woods.

Hill said the mental health team is fully staffed this term.

“Music has definitely helped me be able to better understand my emotions,” Woods said. “Just being able to deal with them and process what I’m feeling in the moment and what I’ve felt before in the past.”