When I was a freshman in college, I remember thinking my music therapy internship was a distant bridge that would eventually be crossed in the far off future. As I approached junior year, I realized that this future was actually not so far away after all and remember feeling a range of emotions about internship. Fast forward to now, almost at the three month mark of internship at MTCCA (it’s hard to believe!), and I can say that I never would have imagined interning during a pandemic! Internship is already a huge transition and tacking on the adaptations made by COVID-19 has made this experience quite unique to say the least. This being said, I want to share some insights I have realized during these first few months that have made the transition a bit easier.
- It’s all about the mindset! I have already experienced instances where I have been challenged, whether that be learning the ropes of all the systems we use, figuring out how to best manage my time with my tasks, or just generally adjusting to this different yet exciting time in my life. There are times where I get frustrated and think, “grrr COVID, I wish I had x,y and z experiences” or I can just get bogged down in what I can’t do right now. I realize these are normal thoughts that everyone has probably experienced at some point this year, but I’ve come to realize the significance of re-evaluating the situation to remind myself that, while these frustrations are valid, I am lucky that I still get to have this internship experience. I still get to interact and engage with clients, research and data collect, learn more about the profession, and I get to learn the ins and outs of virtual along with in person sessions! Sometimes it can be scary to go out of your comfort zone and learn new things, but especially now, there are so many neat resources and ways to provide clients with music therapy wherever they are. These resources will be around for years to come so now is an opportune time to learn how to use them and put them in your therapist tool kit.
- Dive in! There are so many unknowns and “what if’s” in the world, and while it is especially important to be cautious and safe, find as many opportunities to just jump into whatever you can. Whether it be asking questions of your team members, saying yes to an opportunity, or just allocating independent time to learn or research, find ways to go out of your comfort zone and gain experiences. Of course it can be intimidating to go out of your comfort zone, and for me I’ve found that the scariest part of “diving in” is fear of doing the wrong thing. This being said, the only way to learn from mistakes is by making them! The interventions that don’t go as planned and the questions that need clarification are part of the learning and growing experiences that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t challenge myself to go out of my comfort zone.
- Find time for you! I love to check things off of my to-do list and feel accomplished when I work hard towards a goal, but especially with all the information you soak in during the first half of internship, it is important to find time to do things outside of the therapeutic setting. It can become overwhelming to learn so much in a short span of time and it is important to find avenues for self care. With the pandemic, I had consecutive months where I was out of school and working 3-4 days out of the week so transitioning to a 40 hour work week across the country was a big life adjustment. For me, self care most frequently comes in the form of getting enough sleep, calling family, spending time with friends, going on walks, eating enough, and doing yoga. It is important to learn about yourself and find what works for you.
A final honorable mention of insights I have realized is one of the most important during this transitional period and that is: you can’t control everything! There are so many things that are naturally out of the therapists’ control in private practice (changing client schedules, technological mishaps, etc.) and flexibility really is the name of the game. This is certainly true with the pandemic as well, as we all have had to make adjustments to adjust to the new normal. Taking time to remind myself that some things are simply out of my control has been helpful in reorienting my frame of mind and allowing me to come to terms with the unexpected.
While I can’t say I ever expected to be an intern during COVID, I can say that I’m so glad to be interning at MTCCA and making the most of the experiences here.
Katherine
MTCCA Music Therapy Blog 