Meet Our Team

Music Therapy St. Pete is proud to work as a small team to best provide the highest-quality care across the greater Saint Petersburg area. Our team is composed of some amazing therapists with specific training and diverse clinical experiences. We are members of the American Music Therapy Association and have earned the credentials of Music Therapist - Board Certified (MT-BC) through national examination. MTSP also runs an internship program. We accept premier students on a rolling admissions basis.

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James Riley, MM, MT-BC

Program Director

James is the founder and director of Music Therapy St. Pete, LLC. Since earning his Music Therapist - Board Certified (MT-BC) credentials in 2012, he has used music therapy to help all ages and abilities in a wide variety of clinical, community, and educational settings. He earned his master’s degree in music therapy (MM) from the Florida State University in 2013, then stayed on for two years as a full-time faculty member of the FSU music therapy program, before moving to the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater area to be with family. James enjoys speaking at events, performing classical piano, and supporting MTSP’s therapists and interns. He loves coffee, nature, swimming, reading, cooking, art projects, travel, cats and dogs, and octopuses, good conversations, silly conversations, and spending time with his nieces and nephews!

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Elise Scullin, MT-BC

Music Therapist - Board Certified

Elise was born and raised in Cleveland, OH and received her Bachelors of Music from The University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. She has presented regionally, nationally, and internationally on music therapy and has collaborated with professionals across the United States and Europe. She completed her music therapy internship at MusicWorx Inc in San Diego, CA where she further fostered her passion for music therapy. Highlights include the creation of heartbeat songs and legacy projects, and starting up a program for music therapy in an Eating Disorder treatment. Elise has relocated to St. Pete and is excited to start the next chapter of her life as an MT-BC with MTSP! She loves reading, yoga, any and all ice cream, sushi, sunshine, spending time with friends and family, all of her feline nieces and nephews, and is learning to love cooking (ask me about my favorite salmon recipe!).

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Whitney Perry, MT-BC, NMT

Music Therapist - Board Certified, Neurologic Music Therapist

Whitney was born and raised in central valley California, and received her Bachelor’s of Music from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. She later moved down to San Diego to complete her clinical internship with MusicWorx Inc. and Resounding Joy, where she learned to love working with patients in the hospital, and developed a website dedicated to helping music therapists in this setting (feel free to check it out!). Whitney recently completed her Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) training, and incorporates the techniques learned into her music therapy practice. Whitney loves her cat Newt, spending time with friends and family, reading, coffee, rainy weather, good food, holidays, and anything cozy.

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Cara Jernigan, MT-BC

Music Therapist - Board Certified

Cara is new to St. Petersburg, Florida! She was born and raised in Buffalo, New York (go Bills!) but moved to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 2017 to attend Duquesne University. It was there that she received her Bachelors of Science in Music Therapy and a minor in psychology. Cara completed her internship at the former "Three Rivers Music Therapy" which is now called "Three Rivers Community Care" in Pittsburgh where she learned a lot about private practice and found that she enjoyed working with clients of all ages. Currently, Cara is working on completing her Masters in Music Therapy online with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling from Slippery Rock University. After graduation, she will begin working towards acquiring her supervision hours and take the exam to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor while continuing to be a music therapist. In her free time, Cara enjoys spending time with her two adorable nephews, swimming at the beach, exploring new coffee places, writing her own music, and anything Disney.

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Brooklyn Webb, MT-BC

Music Therapist - Board Certified, NICU Music Therapist

Brooklyn was raised in St. Petersburg, FL and received her Bachelor's of Music Therapy with a minor in Psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. She  completed her internship at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO where she discovered her passion for the pediatric medical setting and working with kids and teens in general. She is beginning her grad studies in January at Nova Southeastern University to obtain a MS in Developmental Disabilities with a Child-Life concentration in order to further her knowledge and skills in working with medically complex children and gain a CCLS (Certified Child Life Specialist) certification. Brooklyn is our newest therapist at MTSP and excited to start her journey in private practice! Brooklyn enjoys spending her weekends at the beach and downtown St. Pete with her friends, working out, hiking & biking, and cooking all things vegan!

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Amaya Stamm

Music Therapy Intern

Amaya was born in New Smyrna Beach, FL, the sharkbite capital of the world, and lived there for 17 years before moving to Fort Myers, FL for college. For the past three years, she has worked towards completion of her Bachelor's of Music Therapy degree and gained clinical experience with three populations, namely adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, adolescents in mental health, and older adults in memory care. Amaya's main instrument is flute, but she also has experience singing and playing guitar, piano, percussion instruments, and a little ukulele! In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, taking long walks on the beach, camping, and drinking coffee.

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Maddie Hupf

Music Therapy Intern