Being An Internship Supervisor: Things I Don't Think I am Doing a Good Job of as an Internship Supervisor at the Moment

I am in a bit of a self-judgy mood at the moment, so please bear with me as I indulge in a bit of self-criticism and reflection. This happens on a regular basis, but it is time to do a bit of this type of thought. Last week, I posted about how I wish my interns knew more about the board certification process and the things that have to happen when you are a board certified music therapist. This week, it is time to turn the focus back on myself.

I have been an internship supervisor since 1998. I am currently working with my 34th and 35th interns, and I talk to music therapy students, interns, and professionals often about things that happen in internship programs. I have spent lots of time and energy volunteering for AMTA over a span of about ten years (that ended a bit ago). I write about being an internship supervisor every Monday (well, not EVERY Monday, but as many as I can) on this blog. I have definite opinions about how interns should be trained in their internships, and I share those with anyone who listens or reads. Many of the things that I do as a supervisor are based in experiences that I have been through with one or more interns, so I do change my ways as needed.

At the moment, though, I am focusing on my internship program and am finding some holes in what I am teaching/modeling/asking of my interns...

I am not sure if I am preparing my current interns for the job market. I am trying to get my interns prepared for the possibilities of telehealth and synchronous interactions - both live and via electronic means, but I do not feel that I really know what the job market wants right now. I know that this is a great time to find an entry level job because lots of people are hiring, but I do not know if what I can teach is something that will help my interns become competitive out there in the workforce.

I am trying really hard to get my ways of living into the 21st century (I know, we are already 22 years in), and part of that is transferring all of my documentation to my Google platform. For some reason, this seems to be an issue for my interns - I'm not sure why. All of them have been using online platforms to turn in assignments and keep track of things during their coursework - even before COVID came around and interrupted every single thing that we do. I will be spending some time immersed in Google to see if there is a way to make things easier to track. I am not sure that I can at this point, but there has to be some sort of Learning Management System already out there. I am not doing a great job of getting feedback to my interns - mainly because I am not finding what I am looking for easily.

The last thing that I am finding difficult to comprehend is the effect that COVID had on learning, clinical experience, and internship skills. Some of my recent interns had finished all of their coursework and pre-internship clinical experiences before COVID happened. Others had to go through COVID changes and did not get the same sort of clinical experiences. Those interns have more experience as telehealth practitioners than I do. Some have never worked with live clients in a group before. Others have. The types of clinical experiences that interns have right now are more varied and diverse than ever before, and I am finding this very confusing as a supervisor. More than ever, it is important that I adapt my mentoring to accommodate more and more variations in how students have been educated and trained to do this job.

One of the things that I tell prospective music therapy internship supervisors is that it is rare to feel completely prepared to be an internship supervisor or director. There is no "perfect time" to start on this journey - you just have to take the leap. In this day and set of circumstances, it is interesting to figure out that, even with over 20 years of doing this role, I still feel a bit overwhelmed by what needs to happen to help my interns be the best entry-level therapists that they can be.

Just so you know, I recently was informed that one of my most recent interns has now accepted a job! Those stories are the things that make me realize that my interns are resilient, especially those who went through COVID and have made it out! 

So, I guess I will head off into the world of music therapy internship supervision realizing that I am like everyone else in this post-COVID world - doing the best I can, adjusting as needed, and learning from my experiences and the experiences of other people as well. I will continue to put a critical eye on my program and my role as a supervisor. That's the best anyone can do, right?

Happy Monday. 

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