Music Therapy Mistakes, and How to Make Them
First of all, let me set this up from the very beginning that I am not encouraging you to make mistakes, but am encouraging you to acknowledge that you will make mistakes in your music therapy life and resolve to learn from them.
A friend of mine indicated that she had some less than stellar moments as a music therapist yesterday. She also stated that she took those moments as a reminder of humility and constant growth. Her friends responded with empathetic comments. One stated, "We don't really talk about our music therapy mistakes that often. We should" (or something like that - I may have misquoted the friend...). I completely agree with the sentiment of that discussion.
Mistakes are going to happen.
I've made them. You've made them. We will both make more mistakes. That's what happens when you are a human being. What we do once the mistakes occur is what defines us as therapists.
Whatever the mistake, you have to acknowledge it, own up to it, and follow expectations.
Nothing is worse that trying to cover up something that happened and then having to justify the cover up. So, don't cover things up. If something happens, acknowledge it. Report it. Accept the consequences. Act within the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Clinical Practice. Report it to your supervisor (if you have one) and seek outside guidance.
As always, document, document, document!
Mistakes don't have to be the end of the music therapy world, but they can be if not accepted or worked through in an appropriate manner.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have made bad therapy decisions. I have set up situations where a client became injured (I have never injured a client, however). I have made mistake after mistake after mistake in my music therapy life. I strive to learn when I've made a mistake, and I apologize for things that occur when I am in charge.
Don't be afraid of making mistakes, but don't go out to make them. When they happen, again, acknowledge them, deal with them, and learn from them.
A friend of mine indicated that she had some less than stellar moments as a music therapist yesterday. She also stated that she took those moments as a reminder of humility and constant growth. Her friends responded with empathetic comments. One stated, "We don't really talk about our music therapy mistakes that often. We should" (or something like that - I may have misquoted the friend...). I completely agree with the sentiment of that discussion.
Mistakes are going to happen.
I've made them. You've made them. We will both make more mistakes. That's what happens when you are a human being. What we do once the mistakes occur is what defines us as therapists.
Whatever the mistake, you have to acknowledge it, own up to it, and follow expectations.
Nothing is worse that trying to cover up something that happened and then having to justify the cover up. So, don't cover things up. If something happens, acknowledge it. Report it. Accept the consequences. Act within the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Clinical Practice. Report it to your supervisor (if you have one) and seek outside guidance.
As always, document, document, document!
Mistakes don't have to be the end of the music therapy world, but they can be if not accepted or worked through in an appropriate manner.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have made bad therapy decisions. I have set up situations where a client became injured (I have never injured a client, however). I have made mistake after mistake after mistake in my music therapy life. I strive to learn when I've made a mistake, and I apologize for things that occur when I am in charge.
Don't be afraid of making mistakes, but don't go out to make them. When they happen, again, acknowledge them, deal with them, and learn from them.
Comments
Post a Comment