Being an Internship Supervisor - On Hiatus

I am currently in the middle of an AMTA self-assessment. Have you heard about this? This document was published in 2008 by the Professional Advocacy Committee at the time. It is supposed to be a way to evaluate ourselves based on the AMTA Standards of Clinical Practice, and I have some problems with it.

As I read through this document, I am interested by the dichotomy between what AMTA folx think is the view of the "perfect music therapist" and the realities of my job assignment. Using this assessment, I am not acting as a music therapist because my job requirements do not match what AMTA thinks I should be doing in my job. This is a common situation that I find between the AMTA ideal of a music therapist and the reality of being a music therapist in the world of health care, education, and wherever!

Now, should I be striving for the ideal? Somewhat, I guess, but I am in a place where many of the things on this assessment are not decided by me - they are decided by people who have little to no understanding of what AMTA thinks I do on a daily basis. I do not have the ability to make decisions about the clients I treat. I am not allowed to take the time for formal assessments, treatment planning, or data evaluation. Most of the music therapists that I know can do some of the things on the list but not all of the things on this form.

Do we wonder why music therapists have some issues with imposter syndrome?

Can I call myself a music therapist if I cannot do what AMTA thinks I should be doing? I really have to do what my employers tell me what to do rather than what AMTA tells me I have to do. AMTA takes my money - my employers actually pay me, so I have to do what I am told to do.

I wonder what the purpose of this assessment was to begin with. I am glad to see a portion for private practice therapists, but the stuff I am supposed to do is not allowed at my job. If I were to insist on full evaluations and assessments for every student I see during a year, I would only be doing evaluations and assessments - I would never be able to do therapy with my clients. Oh well. In the end, I can only do what I am told to do by my employers who have never heard of AMTA.

I will be thinking about how this particular self-assessment guide will affect my internship program because it seems to be something that could be helpful - but I would change it significantly. I may write my own Music Therapy Clinical Self-Assessment Guide to help me evaluate my role in my job in my place right here. Perhaps that was the purpose of this self-assessment all along - finding the places where we could be doing things differently.

See you tomorrow.