Change is... Good?

If you are a long-term reader of this blog, you know that my facility is undergoing significant changes in how we do what we do. If you are new, here's the simple scoop. We are renovating our school area. This has led us to an entire year of being a split community, limited team contact, and itinerant therapy for all departments. This is coming to an end this school year, but not quite yet.

The kicker of this entire thing is that, after years and years of going things one way, we are changing EVERYTHING about how we do what we do!

This is causing panic.

Along with the new building format, our leadership decided it was time to get our teaching format into the 21st century. We're going to make our educational programming much more like educational programming in the other schools here in the Midwest. Many of our kids will have different teachers for different subjects. Some will change classes in a central hallway. 

The changes are coming, and the panic is starting.

I'm a person who likes change, but only when I'm part of the decision-making process. If it affects me, I like to talk about it before it starts. I like to know the reasons why, and how it will work. I also like contingency plans for what we'll do when wrinkles in the plan happen.

I am firm believer in the concept that if something isn't working anymore, then it needs to be changed.

As such, my therapeutic persona and practice has undergone many changes in my years as a professional therapist. Part of that is due to gaining more experience in working with my clients - I can tell you that all kids with diagnoses on the Autism Spectrum do NOT like music or rhythm, no matter what textbooks tell you. Individuals are just that, individuals. You have to get to know each person individually in order to interact with them in a therapy setting. As my experience has changed, so has my philosophy of music, therapy, music therapy, and my role in the profession. I hope that the growth that I've made has made me a better therapist over the years.

I often have to stop myself and remember the things that are my foundation. Music is an important experience for everyone. Music should be accessible to everyone. Music is a valuable treatment modality in the hands of a trained therapist who is able to adapt and manipulate the music with the client to move the client towards his or her treatment goals.

When I start to get bogged down in the need for better visual aids or in the day-to-day routine, I stop and think about what is most important...my clients. I hope this will never change.

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