Favorite Things Friday - Intern Webinars
One of my greatest joys in life is being an internship director. I love being able to spend both quality and large quantities of time with people who enjoy music therapy as much as I do (most of the time, but not always). It is wonderful to watch a student of music therapy turn into an intern and then into a music therapy professional.
Over the past two years, I have offered webinars for interns who are not my own every four months or so. (If you want more information, click this link for the details on who, when, and how to register.)
I get a chance to talk to interns from around the country about things that I feel are important for them to know. We talk about their rights and their responsibilities to the profession, the internship, and the school setting. Other topics include time management and organization, learning how to lead, self-care practices, marketing ourselves, and how to have crucial conversations. All of the topics are things that I've discussed with interns for years, and they seem to be topics that interns don't have time to think about before they start their internships, so I try to start the thinking process with them.
I enjoy these webinars for several reasons. First, interns are passionate about being music therapists. That feeling is contagious. Second, my experiences in m internship were both similar and completely different than interns these days. It's fascinating how much things have changed and, at the same time, how much things have remained the same. Third, these webinars often illustrate to interns that they are going through many of the same experiences - they have similar challenges and a safe place to share their experiences with others. Fourth, there are times when our chat conversations get very complex, and we get to problem-solve and practice creative thinking. I finish each webinar feeling that the future of the profession is in good hands.
I am getting ready for a new round of webinars and am thinking about how I can expand on these ideas. I'm also playing around with an idea for an internship handbook - just general information for future interns. I think it's almost ready, but...
If you had a chance to talk to interns, what would you want to let them know about? Let me know!
Over the past two years, I have offered webinars for interns who are not my own every four months or so. (If you want more information, click this link for the details on who, when, and how to register.)
I get a chance to talk to interns from around the country about things that I feel are important for them to know. We talk about their rights and their responsibilities to the profession, the internship, and the school setting. Other topics include time management and organization, learning how to lead, self-care practices, marketing ourselves, and how to have crucial conversations. All of the topics are things that I've discussed with interns for years, and they seem to be topics that interns don't have time to think about before they start their internships, so I try to start the thinking process with them.
I enjoy these webinars for several reasons. First, interns are passionate about being music therapists. That feeling is contagious. Second, my experiences in m internship were both similar and completely different than interns these days. It's fascinating how much things have changed and, at the same time, how much things have remained the same. Third, these webinars often illustrate to interns that they are going through many of the same experiences - they have similar challenges and a safe place to share their experiences with others. Fourth, there are times when our chat conversations get very complex, and we get to problem-solve and practice creative thinking. I finish each webinar feeling that the future of the profession is in good hands.
I am getting ready for a new round of webinars and am thinking about how I can expand on these ideas. I'm also playing around with an idea for an internship handbook - just general information for future interns. I think it's almost ready, but...
If you had a chance to talk to interns, what would you want to let them know about? Let me know!
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