Faculty Supervisor
Internship Director
Music Therapist
Donna W. Polen, LCAT, MT-BC, based in Rochester, NY, is a clinician, supervisor, author, and teacher. Her clinical work has focused on working with people with developmental disabilities and extends to experience in areas of traumatic brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, Parkinson’s Disease, and terminal illness. In addition to providing direct services to adults with developmental disabilities for over 40 years at the Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service Office in Newark, NY, Donna also coordinates the music therapy program and has trained close to 100 music therapy interns through both a national roster internship program and through university affiliated placements.
Donna’s published works include the chapter on “Severe to Profound Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” in Guidelines for Music Therapy Practice in Developmental Health; lead author of Clinical Training Guide for the Student Music Therapist, Second Edition; and an autobiographical chapter in The Lives of Music Therapists: Profiles in Creativity – Volume 3.
In addition to her work as a Faculty Supervisor at Roman Music Therapy Services, Donna is a clinic supervisor in the Nazareth College Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute and Adjunct Faculty in the SUNY Fredonia master’s program, teaching clinical piano improvisation. She has also supported music therapists seeking Licensure in NYS as Creative Arts Therapists.
As an actively engaged member of the American Music Therapy Association, Donna currently serves as Chair of the NYS Task Force, Chair of the MAR Assembly Delegation, and Co-Chair of the AMTA Commission on the Education and Clinical Training of 21st Century Music Therapists.