Being an Internship Director: It's Been Fun, But I Think It Is Time To Go

My mother asked me, just last night, if I would ever host a music therapy intern again.

I am running out of time to do this because I will be leaving my current job in one year and nine months, and I will not be accepting an intern after October 2025 for sure. It has been some time since I have had a viable candidate and the last one decided not to come to Kansas for her internship. With a lack of applicants who can follow directions and finish paperwork or tell me that they are withdrawing their applications, I am inclined to close up shop and be done. It is time to get into the National Roster Internship Guidelines and see what the procedure is for closing down.

This attitude and decision makes me feel pretty sad due to the fact that I enjoy being an internship supervisor, but since no one is interested, there is no reason to stay open. I wonder how many other programs have closed because of this. I know that there used to be nine National Roster programs in my state and now there are only two - one of which is mine. Why is that? Why have seven programs closed in the last 10 years?

I have lots of theories and speculations about what is happening at the American Music Therapy Association concerning National Roster Internship Programs, but I have nothing to base these ideas and thoughts upon. There has been no contact with anyone from AMTA in the past quarter (and longer, I think - just checked, the last NRI email was sent in April). None. No emails, no updates, no information sent to NR internship directors. There was no information shared about an internship forum or an internship fair for the recent symposium. The support that used to be visible has disappeared, and I wonder why.

Feeling abandoned and swinging in the wind over here is not something that I enjoy. The NRI community used to be an actual community. We would talk to each other about things that were happening in training. Now there is nothing out there.

Absolutely nothing is coming from AMTA about clinical training and internships.


It will be interesting to see if anyone at AMTA will respond to my internship closing up.

I will look at the NRI Guidelines to see what the process is for closing down, and I will get that process started. I might not close completely this month, but it is coming. I will still work on my internship handbook (chapter five is almost finished up), but I do not think I will be training any more interns.


Sigh.

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