I have known Marsha for 16 years. During this time she has carried out work for Kids Company offering both therapeutic and music-based interventions. Marsha is immensely talented, she has great analytic and practical skills. She is extremely facilitating and can work with children who present with complex needs. I have no hesitation in recommending her.

Camila Batmanghelidjh

Founder and Chief Executive of Kids Company

The best bit about coming to school is doing music with Marsha.

Leah, age 9

I am very happy with the difference I am seeing in the children that are attending nurture sessions with you. They are appearing more confident and motivated in class and outside in the playground. I am very grateful for the work you do with them.
Helen Cooper

Year 3 Teacher, Oasis Academy Johanna

I want to do this every day!

Leshon, age 11

Marsha Swanson and her team at TroubleChutes deserve our huge admiration and massive gratitude for having demonstrated that music not only provides much pleasure in our lives, but, also, for having discovered that music in its many forms will inevitably help to heal pain. I happily describe myself as a huge fan of Swanson for being not only a talented a composer and singer but, moreover, for being a compassionate person who knows how to alleviate human distress. This project will certainly save many broken souls.
Professor Brett Kahr

Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health, Regent’s University London, and Honorary Director of Research, Freud Museum London

I want to stay here. It would be more comfy than sleeping in a bed.

Lola, age 10

I have known Marsha for several years in a professional capacity through the Clinic for Dissociative Studies. In her work, she is a creative and a talented person with many special qualities. She is analytic, reflective, and communicates verbally and non-verbally through her music that reaches all ages at many levels both individually and in a group setting. She also has the gifted quality of attuning herself to meet the needs of young people with complex needs. She is always motivated and works with great vigour using all her skills, which are expressed with emotion, sensitivity, as well as humour at the appropriate times.

Ina Walker

Consultant Psychotherapist, Clinic for Dissociative Studies (UKCP)

Marsha and Tony have run lunchtime music sessions with two different groups over the course of this year and with both groups, their work concluded with the performance of an original song in assembly. I have to say that I was blown away by both of these performances! The songs were meaningful as well as catchy and seeing the children perform with such confidence was joyful – one of the songs was led by two young girls who I had no idea had such lovely voices in them! All credit to Marsha and Tony for drawing that confidence and talent out of them whilst performing songs with such positive themes.

Leanne Foulkes

Assistant Principal, Oasis Academy Johanna

Music expresses our longings, our sorrows, our sadnesses and our hopes. Rarely does it nudge us into helping us to change ways of being that can enhance our experience and enable us to understand ourselves more deeply. Marsha Swanson’s work does just that. She brings emotional literacy to songs while warming our hearts.

Susie Orbach

Psychotherapist, Psychoanalyst, Writer and Social Critic

It cheers me up and makes me happy.

Sonja, age 7

I employed Marsha to write the lyrics for my latest album for pre-schoolers for use in my classes. Marsha was the consummate professional. She understood what was being asked of her and was able to effortlessly deliver imaginative and age-appropriate lyrics to fit each brief that I gave her. Marsha is passionate, highly motivated and is deeply committed to giving children a voice.

Amanda Frolich

Amanda’s Action Kids Founder

I can’t believe it, this song is my life!

Tammy, age 14

I supervised Marsha’s work with an extremely disturbed, previously untreatable adolescent girl on a weekly basis for a period of 5 years. She is talented, reliable, competent and has a balanced combination of sensitivity and good judgment that do seem to facilitate this work very well.

Anne Alvarez PhD, MACP

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

When I just looked at the words I didn’t remember it, but when I heard the music I knew it all!

Dami, age 9

The names of the children have been changed for privacy