Welcome to Sound Affects Podcast – featured in NME's Podcasts for the People series.

 

Sound Affects is a music & mental health podcast, exploring all crossovers between music and mental health, including how music and sounds psychologically affect us, the songs that see us through, what drives people to develop musicianship or music careers, mental health within the music industry, and research going in all these crossovers. I speak to well-known musicians and figures, as well as to experts, other therapists, academics, authors, charities, and of course, music fans. Each episode is an interview with a guest centred around a specific theme of music and mental health.

 

Sound Affects is produced, edited and hosted by me, Katerina – a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist working professionally in both the NHS and private practice. I'm also a freelance sub-editor and writer published in The Independent, The Guardian, The Times and Wellcome Collection. Before becoming a therapist, I was a Samaritan helpline listener supporting people struggling to cope with suicidal feelings, and I worked full time as a copywriter and editor for Samaritans during the time of the charity's male suicide research launch. I've worked in magazine and newspaper publishing for many years and spent a lot of time during this time speaking to musicians and creative people. 

 

The idea for Sound Affects came while writing about and interviewing bands – I noticed a theme emerging around existential identity and just how sad some of the so-called "rock n roll" stories of excess were. I was also aware of just how much music impacts me, and in particular, specific bands and sounds. It is no secret that I'm a huge Oasis fan, and this theme features regularly in this podcast as alongside my interviews, I occasionally pause to reflect and consider what draws me to this music and how it has shaped me. When I trained as a psychotherapist, I drew together all my interests, culminating in this podcast. I often see musicians as clients for therapy, and I routinely appear in the press and radio commenting on various aspects of therapy and emotional health. 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any music used in this podcast. Any clips used are for illustrative or discussion purposes under fair use law.

 

To get in touch with Sound Affects Podcast, find me @SoundAffectsPod on Twitter, @SoundAffectsPod on Facebook, or sound_affects_podcast on Instagram, or email soundaffectspodcast@gmail.com. For more about my therapeutic work, find me at www.kgcounsellor.com