Michele Forinash

Professor, Director of the PhD in Expressive Therapies

Dr. Forinash is Professor and Director of the PhD program in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University. A graduate of Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, Dr. Forinash completed her master’s and doctorate at New York University. She is a past president of the American Music Therapy Association and a past chair of the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies (NCCATA). She has published articles and chapters on qualitative research, supervision, feminist music therapy, and LGBTQ awareness and has presented internationally on these topics. For ten years she served as the North American Co-Editor for the online international music therapy journal Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy (www.voices.no). She is also an associated supervisor for the doctoral program in music therapy at Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.

Publications

Viega, M. & Forinash, M. (in press) Arts-based research. In B. L. Wheeler & K. Murphy (Eds.). Music Therapy Research 3rd Edition. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers

Forinash, M. (2016). On supervising arts-based research. Music Therapy Perspectives, 34(1) pp 41-45.

Kenny, C.B. & Forinash, M., (2015) Music in life: Historical research on the 1982 music therapy symposium at New York University. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers

Whitehead- Pleaux, A., Donnenwerth, A.M., Robinson, B., Hardy, S., Oswanski, L.G., Forinash, M., Hearns, M.C., Anderson, N., & Tan, X. (2013). Music therapists' attitudes and actions regarding the LGBTQ community: A preliminary report. The Arts in Psychotherapy. 40, 409-414.

Einstein, T. & Forinash, M. (2013). Art as a mother tongue: Staying true to an innate language of knowing. Journal of Applied Arts & Health 4: 1, pp. 77–85, doi: 10.1386/jaah.4.1.77_1

Whitehead-Pleaux, A., Donnenworth, A., Robinson, B., Hardy, S., Oswanski, L., Forinash, M., Hearns, M., Anderson, N., and York, E. (2012). Music Therapy Best Practices for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning. Music Therapy Perspectives, Issue 2 pp 158-166.

Forinash, M. (2012). Qualitative data collection and analysis: Interviews, observations, and content analysis. In R.F. Cruz & C. F. Berrol (Eds.), Dance/movement therapists in action: A working guide to research options. 2nd Edition. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas

Brown, C.F. & Forinash, M. (2011). Lesley University: A century of innovation. New York: Publish America.Whitehead- Pleaux, A., Donnenwerth, A.M., Robinson, B., Hardy, S., Oswanski, L.G., Forinash, M.

Hearns, M.C., Anderson, N., & Tan, X. (in press). Music therapists' attitudes and actions regarding the LGBTQ community: A preliminary report. The Arts in Psychotherapy.

Einstein, T. & Forinash, M. (2013). Art as a mother tongue: Staying true to an innate language of knowing. Journal of Applied Arts & Health 4: 1, pp. 77–85, doi: 10.1386/jaah.4.1.77_1

Whitehead-Pleaux, A., Donnenworth, A., Robinson, B., Hardy, S., Oswanski, L., Forinash, M., Hearns, M., Anderson, N., and York, E. (2012). Music Therapy Best Practices for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning. Music Therapy Perspectives, Issue 2 pp 158-166.

Forinash, M. (2012). Qualitative data collection and analysis: Interviews, observations, and content analysis. In R.F. Cruz & C. F. Berrol (Eds.), Dance/movement therapists in action: A working guide to research options. 2nd Edition. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas

Estrella, K. & Forinash, M. (2007). Narrative inquiry and arts-based inquiry: Multinarrative perspectives. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 47(3) 376-383.

Forinash, M. (2006). Feminist music therapy supervision. In S. Hadley (Ed.), Feminist issues in music therapy. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Forinash, M. & Grocke, D. (2005). Phenomenological inquiry. In B.L. Wheeler (Ed.), Music therapy research, 2nd Edition. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Austin, D.S. & Forinash, M. (2005). Arts-based inquiry. In B.L. Wheeler (Ed.), Music therapy research, 2nd Edition. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Forinash, M. (2005). Music therapy. In C. Malchiodi (Ed.), Expressive therapies handbook. New York: Guilford Publications.

Education

D.A., New York University
M.A., New York University
B.A., Columbus State University.

Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).