Central Indiana
Area Supervisor
Katelyn Morris, MT-BC
Katelyn Morris graduated from Illinois State University with her Bachelors of Arts in Music Therapy. She grew up on a beef cattle farm in southern Illinois with music and theater being major factors in her life. She instantly fell in love with Music Therapy (MUTH) the moment she heard about it. Throughout her college career, she worked with many populations including adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, older adults with dementia, and teenagers in a juvenile detention center. She also volunteered at “The Autism Place”, an after school program for children with autism. She then moved to Indiana and completed her MUTH internship at Opportunities for Positive Growth. Katelyn has recently acquired her board certification (MT-BC), and will be working remotely in Fishers and surrounding areas. She is excited to begin working in the professional world and grow alongside the other therapists at Pure Abilities. Katelyn’s main goals are to foster creativity, promote independence, and inspire individualism for persons with disabilities!
Alaina Cruse, MT-BC, CDP
Alaina Cruse, MT-BC, CDP is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, board-certified music therapist and certified dementia practitioner from a small town on Long Island, New York. After completing her music therapy internship at Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, New Jersey, she earned her bachelor’s degree in music therapy from the State University of New York at Fredonia. She has worked abroad with individuals with developmental disabilities in North Macedonia through the Peace Corps, where she established music-based therapeutic programs at a day habilitation center and organized a community concert performance. She has also implemented music therapy interventions as an undergraduate student music therapist in Jamaica at a school for children with learning disabilities and at an infirmary. In addition to her experiences abroad, she has worked in a wide variety of settings in the United States, including assisted living and memory care, early intervention, and in a hospital serving individuals with medically complex diagnoses such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Her primary instrument is the violin, but she also enjoys playing guitar, flute, bass guitar, piano, and ukulele. She is also passionate about learning new instruments and music from other cultures. She moved to Bloomington, Indiana in August of 2021 and will be serving clients in the area. As a music therapist, she strives to utilize music as a mechanism for developing personal growth in individuals with diverse abilities to optimize their potential as independent and active participants in their communities.
Sarah Whitehouse, MT-BC
Sarah is a board-certified music therapist in the Indianapolis area. Originally from Akron, Ohio, music was a huge passion in her life through choir, band, musical theater, steel drum ensemble, show choir, and church ensembles. Sarah completed her Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Dayton, during which time she gained practicum experience with a myriad of clientele including children with intellectual and developmental delays, adults with dementia, women with substance use disorders, and children in a local hospital. She remained involved in the Music Therapy Club as the service coordinator and vice president, and served on the board of the Association of Ohio Music Therapists as the student representative. Sarah completed her internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, working with children on various units of the hospital including hematology/oncology, bone marrow transplants, cardiology, rehabilitation, and NICU. Following internship, Sarah relocated to Indiana to begin a music therapy career with a Medicaid waiver provider, and later transitioned to an ABA center, during which time she received training as a registered behavior technician. Sarah is currently pursuing a Master’s in mental health counseling with a focus in child and adolescent psychology through Marquette University. Sarah believes in the power of music to be a catalyst for growth, change, and healing. Sarah’s passion is to allow the gift of music to be available and achievable for everyone, and utilize music to tell one’s story.
Elaine Slusser, MT-BC
Elaine is a board-certified music therapist based out of Louisville, KY that serves areas of Southern and South-Central Indiana. Elaine passed her board certification in March 2022 and graduated from the University of Louisville in May 2022. Elaine was involved in leadership and research in college and was published 2 times for it. Outside of the research Elaine is continuing to build more experience serving the community of adults and children with disabilities, and gained this experience through practicums in college and her internship in Minneapolis, MN at Lifeworks, Inc. In her internship, Elaine led group and individual music therapy sessions in an adult day center and with private contracted consumers in their homes. Back in Kentucky Elaine works as a psychiatric music therapist and greatly enjoys learning and sharing music with a diverse group of people. Elaine believes that music is something that is meant to be shared. Sharing and creating music gives everyone an opportunity for developing identity, community, empowerment, and personal growth.
Jessica Balagna, MM, MT-BC
Jessica Balagna graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2015 with a bachelor of arts in music on a violin and a minor in psychology. She graduated from Illinois State University in 2020 with her masters degree in music therapy. She completed her music therapy internship at Lawrence Hall Youth Services in Chicago, Illinois. There she worked with youth who have experienced severe trauma and had severe emotional and behavioral needs. Jessica also worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Technician for two years prior to working professionally as a music therapist. At the ABA clinic, she worked with children with Autism from ages 3 to 20 years old. She comes from a cognitive behavioral background and often incorporates ABA techniques in her music therapy practice. Jessica is originally from Muskegon, Michigan, right on the shore of Lake Michigan. She credits her sister, Sara, who is on the Autism spectrum, for her passion for music therapy and for people with disabilities. Thanks to Sara, Jessica was guided by other families and friends in the special needs community to find music therapy. Jessica also grew up in a multi-cultural home and focused her graduate project on the Hispanic and Latino culture in music therapy. Jessica is passionate about using music to improve the wellbeing and independence of others and to be an advocate for those without a voice.
Rachel Turnbill, MT-BC
Rachel Turnbill is a board-certified music therapist and recent graduate from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music Therapy and Minor in Psychology. Rachel grew up in Greenwood, Indiana and fell in love with music at an early age. Receiving classical piano training since kindergarten, Rachel was heavily involved in school choirs, vocal jazz, dance, marching band, and musical theater before pursuing music therapy as her profession. In her undergraduate years, Rachel worked with many populations, including adolescents with Autism, young adults with Down Syndrome, children with motor speech disorders, and adults receiving treatment in both in-patient and out-patient hospital settings. She completed her internship with Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky, where she gained diverse experience with children and adults in hematology/oncology units, neurological rehabilitation, palliative/hospice care, med/surg units, and neonatal intensive care. Rachel moved back to her hometown following internship and is excited to give back to the Southside community through music therapy services with Pure Abilities. Rachel is passionate about helping all individuals achieve their highest potentials of self-worth, independence, and wellbeing through the gift of music.
Katie Snider, MT-BC
Katie graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a Bachelors of Science in Music Therapy. She then completed her music therapy internship with a private practice in Tampa, Florida, gaining experience working with a variety of populations, including: adults with traumatic brain injury through the Wounded Warrior Project, children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, children, adolescents and adults within an inpatient psychiatric care facility, older adults in skilled nursing facilities, and at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. Following this internship, Katie moved back to Indianapolis to serve a variety of ages through the Medicaid Waiver. She then transitioned to working at a specialized school for children with autism, and also gained training as a registered behavior technician there. Katie is now in graduate school pursuing a Master's in Speech-Language Pathology. Katie loves working with clients to promote their self-advocacy, independence, and quality of life through music.
Elaina Cozart, MT-BC
Elaina is a board-certified music therapist in the Indianapolis area. Originally from southern Illinois, Elaina became involved with music at a young age through playing the piano as well as participating in choirs and bands playing the flute. Elaina graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy in 2016. During her time at Western, Elaina had the opportunity to work with a variety of populations, including children in early intervention, special education classrooms, adults with dementia, and adults in a day program. She completed her internship in the Chicago area for an agency serving adults with developmental disabilities. Since 2016, Elaina has lived in Indiana working with the disability community through the Medicaid waiver program, and has worked with people of all ages. Elaina believes music is a powerful human phenomenon that can promote personal growth and connection to each other.
Maddie McGinnis, MT-BC
Maddie discovered music therapy at Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, a select summer program for high school students, and quickly realized her passion for the field. Maddie later attended the University of Louisville and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. Maddie’s main instrument is the saxophone, and she was involved in the university’s wind ensemble, symphonic band, saxophone ensemble, and marching band throughout her college years. Maddie loves to sing, and was happy to learn how to play percussion instruments, the guitar, the piano, and the ukulele during her time at UofL. She completed her music therapy internship with Louisville Expressive Therapies, where she worked with populations including mental health settings, clients with substance use disorder, early childhood settings, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Maddie continued to work in the music therapy field after becoming board-certified, and spent the first year of her career with a company named Louisville Center for Therapy and Personal Sustainability. Maddie loves working with all ages, but she adores working with children and seeing their creativity shine through music interventions. She lives in Louisville, KY, and will be serving clients in the Indiana area close by. Maddie’s goal as a music therapist is to serve her clients and their specific needs, while helping them achieve their individualized goals using the uniqueness of music therapy!