Today is the fourth day of Spring Break. I enjoy a teaching schedule and all of the breaks - one of the advantages to working in a year-round public/private school, I guess. I receive enough time off during the year that I can get away from the demands of being a therapist and get amped up for new therapeutic interventions. I tend to use this time away from work putting high expectations on myself that I do not accomplish. Rather, I tend to sleep, read, and catch up on all of the things that I do not feel that I have time to do during the year. This is one of those times.
As I am starting to prepare for our regional conference, I am thinking alot about what therapy is and what I do as a therapist. These thoughts have led to some introspection about the therapeutic relationship and use of self within therapy. I do not pretend to be a psychoanalytical therapist - my training is firmly on the behavioral side of things - so cannot necessarily base my rambling thoughts in theory, but I do feel that the way you use yourself in therapy is an important part of how your clients respond to the music that is made during sessions.
I stress to my interns and practicum students that a therapeutic relationship is the second most important element of a music therapy relationship. (The first, of course, is the relationship that the client has to the music being produced in the session.) I firmly believe this as a therapeutic fact. I first interact with new clients musically, getting myself to play a secondary role to the client's interests. Once I can see what types of music clients prefer or are interested in learning, I start to build the relationship by facilitating the client's interest. I seek to understand the client musically before anything else. Once there is a relationship between the client and the music, I can start to act in a therapeutic manner with the music and then build my relationship with the client. I already have a strong relationship with music. This triad allows me to shape the music to the expectations and needs of the client.
This entry is really starting to veer away from the title...let's see if I can get it back on track.
My purpose in rambling on about the therapeutic relationship and use of self within the relationship is to emphasize the importance of "downtime" for every therapist. Vacations, time-off, sick days are all important to maintain the well-being of the therapist. I enjoy the structured time away from therapy that I receive as a school therapist. It provides me with specific times to plan activities other than work. I always end up with new ideas on how to reach clients or how to solve problems. I allow my time off to become time to ramp up my creativity, revamp old songs, and refresh my memory about why I do what I do. This is a necessary period of time for my own health as a therapist.
Did that get back on track? Seems to. Off to a doctor's exam - one of those things that I can only do during a break.
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