TME Tuesday: Where Have All the Clinicians Gone?

It is almost conference time, and while I am currently lamenting the fact that I actually have to GO to work to get my job done (the October blues - happens every year), I am looking forward to some music therapy immersion this weekend around the other things that I need to get finished up.

I have only taken a cursory glance at the program, but I am feeling a distinct lack of clinical focused sessions. Which makes me wonder where all the clinicians are in our presentation process. I know that I have tried to propose clinician-focused presentations recently that have been denied by the review committee (I didn't even bother this year.) I wonder if we have swung so far over onto the Research 2025 side of things that we have neglected the people who do the job with clients day in and day out.

I have always wanted more ideas, more examples of clinical relationships, and more things to take back with me to my music therapy clinic from national conference. I like going to a presentation that offers practice clinical advice. I usually offer these types of presentations because I want to experience them so much! It is something that I think many clinicians would like - things that are less research-dictated and more client-focused. I miss the days when we could talk about things that we do with our adolescent clients. I miss the days when we would make more music together during presentations.

Now, I know that virtual conferences have their own challenges and much of the communal musicking that I miss are very difficult during a prerecorded presentation. I hope, though, that when we do end up being in the same rooms again, that there will an awareness of what types of things clinicians need from AMTA and from our National Conference. It feels that National Conference has definitely become a place for academicians to gather rather than a place where we all mingle.

I'm sorry - I am tired and a bit cranky this morning after a long day yesterday. I am anticipating a long and loud day at work today. We have lots of people out sick, lots of classrooms with no familiar staff members, and kids who are not finding any sort of consistency to their daily routines. It makes trying to do anything meaningful in the therapy room very difficult when no one can find the familiar.

I went through the presentations that are offered this year and found three that piqued my interest. Three. That is pretty dismal when I am paying out of pocket for this conference. Three things that I would be really interested in learning a bit more about. I need to go over the conference listing again to see if a more in-depth reading of the descriptions will lure me into the audience, but I am not sure that I will be able to find lots more that are applicable to my music therapy development. I am hoping that I will, because this will be a very expensive weekend if I can't find more than three presentations to attend. (Sardonic grin placed right about here...)

I want to finish up this weekend with some new TME ideas. Things that others have done that I can use with my clients. I want to be challenged and stimulated and feel like I am part of the music therapy community again. I want to find my thoughts and concepts and skills growing again rather than stagnating. I am placing WAY too much emphasis on this upcoming weekend, but I am hoping that I can find a place in AMTA where I can be valued as a regular old clinician - someone who has been in the trenches and continues to choose the trenches as a place to be.

No pressure, AMTA, but let's see what the verdict is come Monday...