Snow Days in a Residential Treatment Facility Snow days present an unique challenge to teachers and therapists who work in residential treatment facilities. Someone needs to be providing supervision and active treatment for the residents, but snow days are dangerous to be out and about. What to do! When I first started working at the facility, we HAD to come in to work or be docked pay. Things have evolved into a more equitable process where we have essential and nonessential staff who come in. We have enough staff to provide a comfortable ration and all students receive music therapy on snow days. In return, I get snow day credit - time off at a later date (generally around Spring Break) to spend as I see fit. I feel the risk is outweighed by the benefits in this case. Snow days start with students sleeping in - the rationale is that all of the other students in the town get a relaxing day, so why shouldn't ours as well? We let students sleep until they wake up naturally. You...
Posts
Christmas is coming... And while I would say that the goose is NOT getting fat, I am certainly looking forward to the holiday season this year. I am officially finished with all of the holiday hulla-ba-loo that I am responsible for, and I am getting ready to kick back! Of course, there are the two intern evaluations I need to do this week, the senior intern to prep for a second interview, the two papers to write for Dr. C, and the cleaning, the cleaning, THE CLEANING! At least the shopping is finished! Back to intern talk - there is much satisfaction to be had as a clinical trainer. I am confident that the intern that is finishing her time with me will be happy as a therapist. She has great instincts when it comes to working with adolescents. I am nervous for her, but happy that she has a promising second interview with an apparently growing company. I am starting to get ready for the next several interns. The process of teaching someone how to do music therapy is much differe...
Conference is only half-way over! I am exhausted! I have been here for three days and still have two to go! I am not used to sitting still for so long. I am enjoying the socialization, the discussion, the debate, and the drama (to a point), but am ready to wear my jeans and a sweatshirt rather than the professional dress that is expected (by me only, but still...). I finished one of my presentations today. The next one is tomorrow afternoon, and then I AM FINISHED! I can kinda relax after that presentation. This is a very profession oriented conference for me, meaning that I am focused on things that are good for the Association and for the profession rather than for clinical use. There seems to be lots of interest in what I am interested in, so I hope that there will be some folks in the audience. I also hope that I can see this through the entire process and finish my dissertation! I can! I will! I have to! So, that will be my new mantra. I will add it to my repertoire and repea...
Going to Kentucky, I'm going to the fair, to see a senorita, with flowers in her hair... I am in Kentucky on the Indiana border, in the great town of Louisville! I have never been to Kentucky before, and I am hoping to see it in the sunshine before I leave. It has been very dark and gloomy for the time I've been here. I hope the sun will shine soon. Anyway, I am here for the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) National Conference. We always choose an exotic location and then descend upon it like locusts for a weekend. A glut of music therapists is an interesting phenomenon for any city block. The singing, serenades, research presentations, and sessions start today as 1200+ MTs arrive from all over the world. My life in the professional world is rapidly becoming that of mentor (as a long-time friend of mine pointed out yesterday, much to my surprise!!). I always feel inadequate when I see what things are happening with the profession. I have to remind myself that I am als...
Time to go to Louisville! I am packed, the dishes are clean, and the laundry is finished. It is time to go on my annual sojourn to places far distant to commune with others of my type - yes, it is time for conference! I am ready. All I have to do is pack my backpack and then get myself to the airport. The cat is not excited about her stay at the kitty hotel, but she'll be fine. My clients are not excited about my absence, but they won't even miss me. One of my interns is staying and will run music therapy while we are gone. The people who will miss me the most are the staff members who have to run their sessions. They are always appreciative when I am gone!! I am ready to be professional and cordial. We will see how long that lasts, but at the moment, I am ready!
Conference Bound... ...and ready to go, I think! I always get excited and nervous about conference. I am excited to go present, see friends, learn new things about music therapy, and generally escape from things at home, but I am nervous about the same things at the exact same time. I often feel at the end of conference that I am not living up to my potential as a therapist - challenged by what others are accomplishing, and evaluating my own life by their achievements. Then, I look around at the audience in the presentations that I give, and I realize that others evaluate themselves based on me. What a humbling concept. Can't wait to see Christine and Lalah and Larisa again, and am even looking forward to seeing Lillie. Angie will be there, too! This will be a fun week, if I can ever get through the next three days! Bella will be a bit disappointed to be left behind, but she'll enjoy the kitty jail, I mean, spa! I hope to get some new ideas for applications and some profession...
A Helping Hand... For the October version of the public relations brochure that my facility sends out to friends and family, I was asked to write an article about music therapy. I love opportunities like this and relish the chance to offer both the official definition of music therapy and my own interpretation of music therapy. It is an interesting exercise to sit down and write out what you believe. I try to do this every couple of years, especially when I'm preparing to train others in music therapy skills. If you don't examine your own philosophy, I feel you run the risk of becoming stagnant and burning out of the profession. That hasn't happened to me yet. I think the philosophical review helps.