Dr. Emily Sevcik, PhD, LCPC, MT-BC

Dr. Emily Sevcik, PhD, LCPC, MT-BC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and Board Certified Music Therapist. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy from Western Illinois University, Master of Science in Education in Mental Health Counseling from Northern Illinois University, and a PhD in Music Education and Music Therapy from the University of Iowa.

With her undergraduate degree, she completed a 6-month music therapy clinical internship at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Medical Center on the inpatient adult and psychiatric units and gained general hospital experience as well. Her graduate internship included experience as a bereavement counselor and teaching a career exploration course for undergraduate students. 

Dr. Sevcik has over 15 years of clinical experience as a music therapist and counselor. She has worked with children through older adults in end-of-life and bereavement care, teens and adults with psychiatric illnesses, toddlers through young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, and medical music therapy experience with children and adults with cancer, orthopedic rehabilitation, and neonatal intensive care. Additionally, she served for five years as an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy where she taught undergraduate courses, supervised undergraduate clinical training, and was an academic advisor for undergraduate music therapy students. 

Dr. Sevcik is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), the Illinois Association for Music Therapy, and the Illinois Counseling Association. She has served in various roles in these professional organizations throughout her career and is an active presenter at regional and national conferences. Currently, Dr. Sevcik serves on the editorial board for the journal Music Therapy Perspectives and the Strategic Planning Committee historical work group for the Great Lakes Region of the AMTA.

Dr. Sevcik’s research is published in the Journal of Music Therapy and has a case study contribution to the forthcoming book Treatment planning, Writing, and Documentation in Creative and Expressive Arts Therapies edited by Mary Affee, Taylor Auslander, and Jill Weidknecht. Her primary research interest is the history of music therapy professionalization in the United States. She is currently converting her dissertation to a publishable book form, which counters the patriarchal narrative that has overlooked early women innovators in the development of music therapy professional practice. 

Outside of work, Dr. Sevcik loves to spend quality time with family and friends, read multiple books at any given time, travel to beaches and new countries, and create with her hands.