LAMTN Leadership

Mariagracia Rivas Berger, MT-BC
President-US
Mariagracia Rivas Berger, MT-BC, also known as MG, was born and raised in Lima, Peru and migrated to the United States at age 11. She received her undergraduate in Vocal Performance and her graduate Music Therapy studies from Shenandoah University. Mariagracia currently works in the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders at Children’s National in Washington, DC, where she is serves as a clinician, Internship Director, and one of the internship supervisors. In her 4 years there, she expanded the program to add a second music therapist and is leading the hospital’s first music therapy study, focusing on the pain and emotional wellbeing of adolescents and young adults with Sickle Cell Disease admitted for vaso-occlusive crisis.
Mariagracia is passionate about continuing to grow the field, advocacy, and empowering others.
Natalie Cole, MA, MT-BC
Vice President-US
Natalie Cole, MA, MT-BC, NMT is a Florida native music therapist. Natalie earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from the University of Miami and earned her Master of Arts in Music Therapy from Berklee College of Music. She currently works full-time with veterans and mental health. In addition, Natalie is a mentor with Guitars Over Guns, an after-school music and mentorship program, and teaches piano and creates social-emotional learning exercises with her team of mentors for middle school students. She has presented on topics of culturally appropriate music therapy treatment, approaching mindfulness interventions with veterans, and using songwriting as a means of Trauma-Informed Care both locally and nationally. Natalie strives to build new music therapy and mental health programs that are accessible for underserved communities and empowering of the people.
Lic. Cecilia Di Prinzio
Vice President of the Latin American region
Lic. Cecilia Di Prinzio lives in Argentina and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Music Therapy from the Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. She has clinical experience in older adults, especially Parkinson's disease. She is a member o the WFMT. As well as she conducts meetings for stress management, and especially conducts research on teacher stress, she participates in the music therapy community as a speaker at scientific conferences.
-She is Certified in Neurological Music Therapy (NMT) The Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Neurological Music Therapy
-Also has her own company and is Managing director at Musicoterapia Norte / www.musicoterapianorte.com.ar
-Since 2007 she began to be a professor at the Universidad del Salvador as at the Clinic in motor and sensory disabilities in the Bachelor's degree in Music Therapy, Universidad del Salvador Argentina. Also she is a mentor and supervisor of students in their early years of clinical practice.
-Since 2014, she is the Founder and Coordinator of the Latin American Network of Music Therapy for Early Childhood, coordinating a group of professional Latin American music therapists specialized in early childhood. And she is the general editor of the Latin American Journal of Music Therapy for early childhood.
- Co-founder of the Music Therapy Forum for the elderly
She currently has the honor of participating in the Latin American Music Therapy Network as Vice President of the Latin American region
Bethany Lindeblad, MT-BC
Outreach Coordinator for US
Bethany Lindeblad is a compassionate board certified music therapist with several years of experience in providing music therapy for groups and individuals. Bethany is Latinx and a transracial adoptee. She advocates for BIPOC representation and equality both in and out of her field and is committed to making music therapy accessible, inclusive, and culturally informed. From 2019-2021, Bethany developed a successful music therapy program at a residential treatment facility where she worked with incarcerated, at risk, runaway/homeless youth and immigrant minors. She is now employed full time at Bellevue Hospital in NYC on a pediatric behavioral health
ward. She is on the DEI committee for what will be the New York Music Therapy Association and she has presented both internationally and nationally.
Marianela Cordoba, MMT, MT-BC, NMT
Outreach Coordinator for US
Marianela Cordoba is a Music Therapist-Board Certified and Neurologic Music Therapist at ProMedica Hospice in Broward County, Florida where she specializes in hospice and palliative care. In addition, Marianela is the owner of MCS Music Therapy LLC, a music therapy private practice in the South Florida area that serves individuals of all ages with physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social needs. Ms. Cordoba obtained her Masters of Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.
Diana Zavala (NMT, Magister).
Outreach Coordinator for Latin America
Vive en Perú. Músico, cantante y musicoterapeuta. Egresada del Máster de Musicoterapia de la Universitat de Barcelona en 2019. Especializada en Musicoterapia Neurológica en el 2021. Ex becaria de la beca presidente de la República (Perú). Ha recibido cursos especiales como el “The Ronnie Gardiner Method” y formación especial en la aplicación de la Escala “MATADOC – nivel I”.
En el 2020, presenta la investigación “Music Therapy and motion sensing, for improving arm movement, in Stroke Patients”, en la Conferencia Internacional de Música y Medicina, organizada por la International Association for Music and Medicine, la cual realizó durante su último año en Barcelona en colaboración del Máster en Musicoterapia de la Universitat de Barcelona.
Actualmente, culminando su especialización en el Posgrado de Musicoterapia en Áreas Críticas brindada por la Sociedad Argentina de Terapia Intensiva (SATI), además de segunda titulación como Educadora Musical.
Fundadora de LIMBIC MUSICOTERAPIA, continúa brindando sesiones de Musicoterapia, talleres, cursos y trabajo de difusión de Musicoterapia, por medio de las plataformas virtuales y sus redes Sociales; así como, promoviendo información por medio de su blog MUSICOTERAPIA EN CORTO, con el fin de difundir la musicoterapia en Perú.
Xóchitl Palma
Outreach Coordinator for Latin America
Xóchitl Palma, pianist and music therapist. Director and co-founder of the Mexican Center for Music Therapy. She studied at "Escuela Superior de Música" and the Faculty of Music-UNAM, in México. She has a Music Therapy Diploma and multiple certifications of courses and workshops from institutions in various countries, including the US, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, France and she's currently studying the Master of Music Therapy at the University of Barcelona. Xochitl is the first Mexican woman to be invited as a speaker at the International Forum on Music and Health, organized last year by the Wuhan Conservatory, China. In 2021 she organized the 1st International Music Therapy Symposium and the 1st "Jornada Nacional de Musicoterapia" in Mexico. Currently working on the planning of the 1st Mexican Congress of Music Therapy, which will take place in February 2022. First native mexican (born and raised in México) to be part of the LAMTN Leadership Team.
Jessica Hernandez, MT-BC
Event Coordinator United States
Jessica Hernandez, MT-BC is a third-generation Mexican-American who grew up in central Texas and now lives and works as a music therapist in Houston, TX. She has a passion for mental health and has worked extensively in the adult and adolescent inpatient setting providing individual music therapy consults and offering psychoeducational groups with a focus on wellness and recovery. She earned her Bachelor of Music Therapy from Sam Houston State University. Along with English and Spanish, Jessica is also fluent in Portuguese and has strong connections with the Brazilian community both in Houston and in Brazil. Additionally, Jessica is a fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in her own workplace and is an active member of several groups and committees that promote these initiatives. Ultimately, Jessica strives to build a better bridge that connects people together while celebrating and appreciating all the unique parts of an individual.
Olaia O'Malley Gorbea
Social Media Manager
Olaia O'Malley Gorbea was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has had experience working with diverse musical traditions, populations, cultures, and ages. She completed four years of Music Therapy and Psychology studies, with a concentration in classical voice, mezzo, at Loyola University New Orleans. She is currently completing her Music Therapy Internship with Hands in Harmony Rhode Island and hopes to finish before the year is over. At her site, she works with medically fragile clients of all ages, with varying diagnosis, using Neurologic Music Therapy based interventions. As a volunteer, she is a founding member of the Asociación de musicoterapia de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Music Therapy Association) and currently serves on their leadership board as Social Media Manager. In the coming months, she is looking forward to obtaining her Music Therapy license and Neurologic Music Therapy certification. She is excited to be deepening her knowledge of music therapy and gaining hands-on experience with guidance from the professionals at her internship site as well as in the field.
Steven Franco MA, MT-BC
Website Manager
Steven Franco holds a Master of Arts in Music Therapy from the University of Missouri—Kansas City and a Bachelor's degree from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in Classical Guitar (performance) with a minor in music education. Currently, he works as a music therapist at the Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero, a maximum-security forensic psychiatric facility with primarily male patients. As a bilingual music therapist, he provides multiple groups for Spanish-speaking patients. Some areas he addresses through music therapy include stress reduction, cognition, insight, emotional intelligence, social skills, and managing anger and aggression. He also serves as one of the music therapy internship supervisors. He has been able to present at regional and national conferences regarding music therapy in the forensic setting. As a classical guitarist, he has participated in multiple master classes with world-class performers such as Manuel Barrueco and Marcin Dylla. He has over eight years of guitar teaching experience, both private and group lessons.