By Ali Sailer, MT-BC
Nearing the end of my first month as a board-certified music therapist at PBMTI, I have accumulated plenty of thoughts and feelings which I will reflect on in this brief blog post for the benefit of anyone who would like to understand the perspective of a new music therapist fresh out of college. In May, I graduated with my B.M. in music therapy and was blessed to have landed a music therapy job working with people in recovery from addictions within two weeks post graduation (everything they say is true about timing and networking with the right people). Not only is this my very first music therapy gig, I moved 1100 miles from Philadelphia to Palm Beach County with my husband and three beagles in order to take this opportunity. So far, it has been a very unique journey!
One of the first and best impressions I have had about working for The Palm Beach Music Therapy Institute is feeling welcomed and supported by the company. While my six-month music therapy internship in mental health was invaluable experience, the transition from supervised student to credentialed professional felt a bit daunting even with over 1200 hours of clinical practice under my belt. I’ve never worked in recovery before and I’m supposed to know how to do this? I’ve never been a music therapist before and I’m representing the whole field of music therapy? Amid all of these major life changes, I am thankful to be working with supervisors who understand and support me personally in this particular stage of my career.
Perhaps the biggest change for me has been adjusting to contract work. Before I began working for PBMTI, I generally understood the level of independence I would have in this position. I was less prepared, however, for the responsibility inherent to contract work including the hours I would spend commuting to multiple sites, adapting to varying expectations of client care, and even being responsible for my own taxes. Rather than working under a single hospital or facility with a fixed job description, this kind of work has proven to be a balancing act between meeting the needs of all of my clients and honoring each facility’s standards while being true to my company and to my profession. On the plus side, I also have endless opportunities available for growth, networking, and gaining experience in a variety of settings from recovery to senior care to kids to hospice.
One more lesson I have learned so far is that I am the same person I have always been with the same strengths and same weaknesses, just different clients. Having letters beside my name can make me feel more confident as a music therapist but cannot change who I am and the growing pains I have yet to face as a new therapist. Thanks to my previous experience in mental health, I have been able to jump right into this work but I can’t fool myself about who I am or the thousands of questions that I still have. By the way, what am I doing? This kind of work is not for everyone and at first I was unsure of how everything would play out for me, but working for PBMTI has taught me how to begin to appreciate and utilize the freedom that I have working in private practice. It’s all about the journey, and I’m deciding to go with it!