I'm About Ready to Bring Out the Videos


In the past two weeks, I've had very few positive sessions at my facility. My students are struggling, our mostly new staff members are struggling, and I am struggling to get anything accomplished. I am feeling like a failure as a therapist because I haven't had a day go by where I wasn't physically assaulted by a client for simply requesting that they remain safe in my therapy space. 

Here's the deal, folks. Music therapy is not always comprised of "happy people making happy sounds." There are times when you have to deal with humans at their worst, and it is not fun. These times, though, are the times when music can be most powerful and the role of the music therapist is the most important.

Sure, any therapist can enjoy their job when everything is going right, but it takes stamina and realism and dedication to stick with a difficult client during a difficult time! (I currently have about 100 clients going through difficult times, so I am feeling like I am VERY dedicated to my folks and my job right now - let me have this because it's all I can think about right now...I'm currently fantasizing about working from home and only leaving when I have to do so!) 

It is rough everywhere in our school right now. That gives me a bit of comfort as is watching students enter the room in complete and total turmoil and leaving the music therapy room with significantly less turmoil. It is on these days, more than the "happy sounds" days, that I can see what music and what a therapeutic relationship can do for my clients. 

I have the luxury of watching this for most of my groups because my intern is taking over session leadership. This is probably not the best time for her to have to start being the full leader, but this is where she is in her development, so she is getting a chance to work with our students at their worst - it should only get better from here. (Fingers crossed.) This means that I get to wander around the room, helping out with behavior management and trying to model expectations to our new staff members.

I am tired of moving from crisis to crisis, but I will persevere because I know that this time will eventually end. Kids will eventually become more stable. The new staff members will eventually become familiar to us all, and they will eventually understand how we interact with persons in crisis. We will stabilize.

Those thoughts are the ones that keep me from leaving my stable job for a life of adventure! I can hold onto the reality that we have had these types of situations before, and we made it through! We will make it through this as well.

It may be time to bring out the videos to facilitate a low demand situation where students can engage in self-soothing practices...These thoughts may be more for my own therapeutic interactions than for the benefit for my clients. I'll have to think about that. 

I'm holding onto the promise of better days in the near future!!

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