Synthesis Sunday: Ready to Get Back Into School

It is Synthesis Sunday, and I am getting myself ready to start music therapy sessions with my clients again. I spent most of the summer not doing much with clients due to two interns who were covering my caseload. Intern #33 graduated, so I get a bit of time as therapist until intern #35 takes over. Intern #34 is still doing the rest of the groups but will graduate in October, so I will get those clients back at that point. I am looking forward to having a chance to be therapist for a bit.

I will be leading one group tomorrow afternoon. It is a group of tweens and teenagers that usually have significant issues with peer relationships, so I think we may focus a bit on social emotional learning in these next several weeks. We will do some teamwork, some social songs, and some emotional awareness TMEs. We are going to start with "I'm Not the Only Person In This Room."

Since we are going back into a five day school week, my schedule is changing back to spreading out our classroom groups over those five days. I would really like to keep a four day group schedule, but I am not going to win that particular battle, so I am saving my energy to help me win the bigger war - what that will be is not entirely clear yet. I do not have my entire schedule completed yet. I have found that it is better to allow others to establish their session times before I start to choose my individuals for music therapy sessions. For the next week, we will not be seeing individuals in treatment. I will strive to get those sessions scheduled by next Friday so we can start up on the 22nd with the full schedule. That also has the benefit of giving me some time to finish up my new office space and clean the intern office space - at least, as long as my back will allow me to move - it's not looking really good.

I am going to cut my fingernails today. Sounds like a little thing, but it is an important step to getting back into my therapist role. I have to be able to play the guitar, so the fingernails have to be trimmed. I allow myself to grow my fingernails on my left hand when I do not have as many session responsibilities, but it is time to cut them and shape them a bit. My fingernails are never pretty, so taking some time to shape and file them into curves is something that I do not focus on very often. 

I have already reminded myself of the constant need to shift and change at work this year - transform being my word of the 22-23 school year. We have had several things change at the last moment, even as events were starting in the last two days. I refused to print out the class lists until tomorrow because I know that planning for specific students in specific classes is not practical until breakfast on the first day. At that point, the lists should be pretty set, but not completely. Our class assignments are sorta like jello - they are somewhat solid but easily modified...

After about a week, the other people who have to schedule interaction with specific students will probably have finished their schedules so I can plan for extra music therapy interaction with students. Since those others have to abide by the master schedule (music therapy is part of that schedule), I figure I should give them a chance to schedule before I try to take kids for extra interaction. Half of my current individual caseload has moved to the transition program, so I am not sure if I can continue with them. I think I have a couple of options ready, but I am not sure how it will work yet. Too many other people have to make decisions before I can get any sort of answer to my most current question about whether or not we will be continuing with those individuals. Once I have answers, I can start the individual schedules.

I am fortunate that my music therapy schedule is at one facility. It is difficult to imagine having to schedule between multiple facilities, though I do know music therapists who do this on a regular basis and with multiple therapists. I enjoy this type of puzzle, so I enjoy making my schedule, but I wonder if I would enjoy it as much if I had to coordinate more than just my own schedule. Perhaps I would be able to do that type of thing for someone else once I finish my job and am ready to retire. I wonder if there is somewhere I could practice - anyone who is reading this willing to send me the types of sessions, number of therapists, and scheduled work hours for therapists so I could practice?? You could use my work, if it would work for you. I love hypotheticals and coordinating schedules...

When I retire, maybe I will offer my services to music therapy businesses as a virtual assistant of some sort. Interesting thought - I would be able to schedule things based on my knowledge of what it takes to be a music therapist, and I could do some of the administrative work that take up time for other people, freeing them to do the things that I do not like to do. I could even offer to do that sort of thing for university programs scheduling supervisors and practicum students. That might be something to think about for my post-retirement plan.

Hmmm.

I like it when thoughts come into my head. There is a bit of a zing when it happens that I enjoy. I need to write this down somewhere so I will remember this idea in five years when I need it. Hooray!! Another use for one of my books!

It is a bit strange to be making plans for post-retirement, but I am that old, and my body is even older than I am. I have the gut of a seventy year old, the maturity of someone between the ages of twelve and thirty, and the spine of an eighty year old. None of those are even close to my chronological age. I am hoping that I will get to the point of taking my pension without having to leave the school due to medical issues before that point. I would like to be able to get my pension going before I hit the government's expectation for retirement. I do not think that I will completely stop being a music therapist, but I would like the opportunity to do more consulting with other music therapists and making things for music therapists to use.

Well, it is time to start my morning. I am heading to the shower to get ready for my return to church after two months away. I will stop at Walmart before I head to the church - I want to get some more storage containers for my craft and instrument rooms. After church, I am taking myself to a movie - I am not sure which one I will go see yet - there are two that I have already seen that I would like to see again and one that is very recent that I want to see as well, but that I think will probably be more crowded. It will all depend on timing. I might even get some fast food before I go to the movie. There is a place near the theater that has a great fish sandwich - not something I go for often, but this one is REALLY good. Okay, time to go.

Happy Sunday, all!