Being an Internship Supervisor: Taking a Break
I have always been someone who loved doing music therapy more than talking about it. While I enjoy talking about music therapy with others, I definitely prefer being the person leading the music exploration than watching someone else. The most difficult times in my life are when my interns have taken over the caseload and I am relegated to the role of watching and offering feedback.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my time with interns. If I didn't, I would stop my program and just be "therapist" for the rest of my professional career. Interns offer me many opportunities to learn and change my viewpoints as well as unique challenges throughout their time with us. So, having interns is something that I enjoy, but I also enjoy their absence from time to time.
This is such a time.
I usually try to take a break every other year to keep myself going as a therapist. This ends up being a break after about three or four interns in a row. I have broken this pattern before - at one time, I had interns for three years straight before taking a break - but I usually need some time as "therapist" after about three interns. I consider this break from being a trainer something for my own well-being. For the next three months, I will be able to leave an hour earlier than I can when I supervise interns. I get to work the hours that I am paid to work rather than the ones that I do because my interns have to work 8.5 hours per day. I get to work on TME development and therapeutic relationships and with my co-workers rather than being the person sitting in the office. Most of the staff members coming to sessions right now have no idea that I actually am the music therapist - there have been several comments lately about me. They have come under the category of "We're worried that she can't do this job." Oh. I know how to do this job.
Anyway, it is time for a break, and I am glad that I have this opportunity. I could, conceivably, have two interns right now, but I opted not to pursue any interns. I did not have any applicants that seemed a good fit, so time for a break. I have one intern starting in June with the possibility of another one starting in September, so I think I will be full up again, when I am ready.
This break is something that I am looking forward to - not because of my recent interns, but because I really miss being the one planning the interactions and getting to make music with my clients. I really do miss it all. My interns bring new ideas, new TMEs, new ways to be a music therapist into my awareness, but I have to take time for myself in order to assimilate those new things into my way of doing things.
So, I am getting ready for my break and for my time as "therapist."
During this time, I will spend some more energy on reviewing what interns do during their program. I will go over assignments, requirements, and paperwork. I will review some of the things that have happened over the past four years and see what is still necessary and what is no longer working for me. I will spend some of the time that has been taken up with intern consultations for those tasks. I hope to have some things moved around and changed up by the time intern #36 arrives at the facility on June 4th.
For now, though, I am going to have fun getting back into the music therapy groove. See you tomorrow!
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