music, therapy, and me

I am learning. It has been a very long and pervasive struggle, but I am learning that I do not have to respond to anyone or any particular thought at any time. I do not have to put my opinions into contentious situations or conversations where there is no benefit to me or to others. I will not contribute to the noise that is already present in our lives. At the moment, I am watching a couple of conversation themes. There is a huge disconnect between people looking for music therapy jobs and people hiring music therapists for jobs. I have to be honest, I tend to side with the business owners in this particular debate. Maybe it is because I am an old music therapist, but I do not feel that brand new music therapists deserve the type of salary that I now earn - that seems to be the level that this generation is seeking. Without experience. Without understanding how music works on a deeper level. Without being willing to comply with requests from supervisors or work the schedules assigned....

I have six days. My mother arrives in Kansas in six days for a period of rest and relaxation with me, and I have to work like a fiend to get things done. My "lazy days and time to rest" vacation has become a "clean up everything so Mom can move in the VERY small living space available" time, and I have not been doing all that I can do in the evenings. I'm paying for that now. I made progress this past weekend - panic tends to do that to me - but there is still way too much to do before I am finished with my odyssey to make this a presentable place. Interestingly, I was doing the exact same thing five years ago when my mother came to visit me because I was getting ready for surgery. This time? No surgery (that I'm planning for, at least)! She just wants to visit me. The problem? I am exhausted by the time I get home so I'm not doing anything right now... Last night, I fell asleep (sometime after 8pm because I saw that time on the tablet) with the ...

Tomorrow is a scheduled day off. For some reason, we get a random Friday off in April every year. Tomorrow is the day. I have some big plans for tomorrow - sleep in and then try to uncover some carpet so I can vacuum. I also need to grocery shop. Before all that can happen, though, I need to get through the Super-Secret Special Event at school today. Getting ready to fly into this superhero day! In the job description of all jobs that I've ever had, there is a handy little phrase at the end - "Other duties as assigned." This little phrase is why I am getting ready to dress up in a cape and spend my day regulating bouncy houses and gift bags - it's another duty that's been assigned. I don't mind duties like this (I do mind the duty of having to go to endless meetings that have nothing to do with my job, but this one isn't bad). I like having the duty of coming up with something creative and to make some fun for my clients. The day will be exhausti...

I am in the center of an ethical dilemma that I will have to stand my ground on. It has to do with releasing information about a client to another music therapist in a manner that is not quite clear and feels a bit fishy to me. I am having to go into the AMTA Code of Ethics to justify my stance on this issue. I've run into this situation before. A music therapist from an outside agency sends me a non-confidential email requesting personal health information (PHI) with the assurance that the therapist "has a release that allows me to talk to you." The problem? I don't have such a release. My view on this issue is that I don't release information about clients without a copy of a release form that explicitly states that I may do so. Other people seem to see this as a problem. I've stood my ground before and will continue to do so as long as this is an issue. There is a simple fix for this situation - a release form given to me that states that I may talk t...