Being an Internship Director: Trying to Get to the Finish Line

Being an Internship Supervisor – Graphic looks like a hanging sign. The top of the graphic includes the website URL, “www.musictherapyworks.com” followed by the title, “Being an Internship Supervisor.” and the word, “explained,” on the part of the sign that dangles below.
It is always interesting to see what happens in the internship of each person who comes to do an internship at my facility. Each intern is unique, and each intern has their own quirks, challenges, and contributions to share with me while they are around. In the past 25 years and 36 interns, I have learned so much about myself and about being a supervisor because of the people who volunteered to be interns at my facility.

Some of the lessons are not as easy to swallow as others.

Here are some of the things I have learned about myself through my role as a National Roster Internship Director over the years...

  • Music therapists do not share much common language.
  • I have to be ready to let go of my clients to allow every intern to become who they will be as therapists.
  • I have to take breaks from being "mentor" in order to be "therapist" for my clients and my own well-being.
  • I have to be a micromanager for some interns - this is not a role that I enjoy, AT ALL, but it is something that has to be done for some of the humans who come to my facility.
  • I stand between my volunteers and the rest of the staff members who do not realize that my interns are volunteers. It is my job to protect my interns from my clients and my co-workers.
  • The power differential is always present.
  • I often think things are more important than my interns do.
  • It is fun to watch someone become a Therapist with a capital T, and each intern has their own path to that moniker.
  • Internship extensions are sometimes required for interns to finish their hours. There is nothing wrong with extending an intern's time if it is needed.
  • None of us can do every AMTA Professional Competency every moment of every day. I strive to see improvement rather than 100% mastery of every competence.
  • I have to be a detective sometimes to figure out what is going on with an intern. They don't often initiate conversation about needing assistance.
There are many other lessons that I have learned, but I am not really in a writing frame of mind. What lessons do your interns teach you??

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