Chelsea Mabes, MA, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist from Sidney, Ohio. Chelsea completed her Bachelor of Music at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio; her Master of Arts in Music Therapy at St. Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana; and is currently a music therapy doctoral student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana. Chelsea has been a member of AMTA and GLR since 2010 and is currently serving as Chair on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of GLR as well as a Council Coordinator for Association Services on the AMTA Executive Board.
Chelsea is employed as a music therapist at Mainstay Music Therapy in Indianapolis, Indiana. She supports children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, mental health disorders, trauma, and individuals in hospice care. She is an advocate for trauma-informed care in the music therapy profession, which was her master’s thesis topic. Chelsea is also passionate about education and she has supervised numerous practicum students and interns as a professional.
Chelsea defines her work as person-centered with an eclectic approach that is trauma informed. Chelsea believes in a reciprocal relationship between the person-supported, the therapist, and the music as a meaningful and collaborative experience. Safety, respect, dignity, and support are essential elements to Chelsea’s clinical work.
Chelsea enjoys golfing, Harry Potter, anything that is the color pink, and her cat, Wilmer.