Alison Usher-Jones, BMT, Founder, Music Therapist

Alison Usher-Jones is the owner and music therapist at Westmount Music Therapy, a music therapy clinic for children in Montreal. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Therapy from Capilano University in Vancouver. Alison has been working with children with a variety of needs since 2008. 

Alison established Westmount Music Therapy is 2013. Her goal was to create a clinic where children of all abilities could thrive and reach their potentials by placing the focus on their strengths, find their motivations, and as a result, work on their challenges in a positive direction.

Alison offers a holistic experience that goes beyond her time spent with her clients at the clinic. When applicable, she will go into her client's schools, attend team meetings, and offer support in their community and to their parents. Alison makes it a priority to get to know her clients strengths and hobbies and is constantly determined to help build them up. Her years of experience with children with autism and other developmental disabilities, ensures that she offers an extremely structured environment where her clients get the predictability necessary to feel secure enough to make huge strides.  Still not sure? Check out her testimonials here!

HEIDI ARSENAULT, B.MUS, MA, MTA, MT-BC, MUSIC THERAPIST

At Westmount Music Therapy, Heidi Arsenault supports children and teens by providing a space for joy and music making that allows them to develop the skills and confidence they need to engage others in pursuit of their focused interests and to build their future.

Heidi often provides music therapy for children in the Nordoff-Robbins approach, with a colleague, as it requires two therapists working together as a team. This approach was developed by Paul Nordoff, an American pianist and composer, and Clive Robbins, a British special educator. In their music therapy sessions, Robbins would directly support engagement with, and within, the responsive musical spaces that Nordoff created at the piano. The Nordoff-Robbins approach to music therapy is very well-established in the Commonwealth, Britain, and the United States. This approach can be especially helpful to autistic children, as well as to young children who show early signs of autism. Children with developmental differences or language delays unrelated to autism, children who need help expressing their needs in safe ways, and children living through difficult experiences, benefit from this offer as well.

Heidi also works one-on-one with children and teens, for example to develop musical skills (at any level), to explore learning or sensory processing differences, and to overcome obstacles related to a diagnosis such as ASD, ADHD, OCD, DCD, GAD, ODD, selective mutism, or giftedness. She speaks both english and french.

ruth Francis-lyster, bmt, mta, NMT™, Music therapist

Ruth Francis-Lyster earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from Capilano University in North Vancouver in 2021 and completed her Neurologic Music Therapy training in 2023. She has more than five years of experience working with neurodiverse children with a wide range of needs.

Ruth takes a strengths-based, individualistic, and holistic approach to music therapy. She is passionate about creating a supportive environment where children of all abilities can thrive, discover their strengths, and build confidence through music. By focusing on each child’s interests and motivations, Ruth helps guide them toward meaningful growth while supporting them through challenges in a positive and encouraging way.

Ruth has experience working with children with a wide range of needs, including autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, anxiety and depression. She is committed to creating sessions that are structured, engaging, and responsive to each child’s unique way of experiencing the world. In addition to her clinical work, Ruth has served on the Music Therapy Association of BC’s Neurodivergent & Diverse Needs Initiative Committee, contributing to efforts that support neurodiversity and inclusion within the field of music therapy.

Ruth values building strong relationships with the children and families she works with and strives to create a space where clients feel safe, understood, and empowered to grow.