By Trent Barrick, MT-BC, Neurologic Music Therapist
Hey friends!
If you have less than 2 minutes to read this blog, here are some key points to consider if you have successfully developed a new music therapy program and are looking for ways to sustain long lasting success.
How do I sustain success?
Create momentum at the beginning. Build a productive working rapport with your supervisor and meet their expectations. Build credibility through honest and diligent work. Get some of your more successful cases noticed by directors and the higher ups early on. Working hard in the beginning will sustain success long-term. Be patient with yourself in the process. Be seen, be visible, be present. Talk to everyone you can. This is not the time to hide in a closet with the pet therapy dog. Relationships and trust take time. Not everyone will know what you represent, what you can offer, and who you are. Not everyone will want to work with you or will be convinced you can make a difference. But there will be people that want to work with you – find those people (A.K.A) network for sustainable relationships. Lastly, your attitude opens doors or closes them. Attitude is everything – especially in the beginning!
For those who have a few more minutes, here is some more insight into my first month of a new music therapy program. Have I cracked universal tips for success? No. But once I took time to accurately identify the challenges and possibilities in my situation, I felt I had a better chance of finding my strategy for success.
Perhaps the biggest source of stress in beginning a new music therapy program is the not knowing how to succeed given absolutely no insight into the challenges that we were to face. My first day of the job included HR meetings to complete paperwork, meeting supervisors I would report to, observing a few sessions here and there, but perhaps the most important part of my first day was name learning.
My enemy for years was name learning. I met at least 40 people on my first day. Luckily, I watched a Steve Harvey episode that discussed strategy for high retention while learning people’s names. People would say their name to me and instead of annoyingly repeating their name 50 times to store it in my long-term memory, I began interposing the faces of my friends over their faces, or creating fun associations.
Person: Hi my name is Kim! My thought process: “She looks kind of like a kid. Kid sounds like Kim.”
Person 2: Hi, my name is Barbi. My thought process: “Barbi loves to play with dolls. Her hair is wavy like Barbie’s.”
Whatever works, make it work.
Learning and recalling names even an hour later makes whoever you are talking to feel important enough to be remembered – it goes a long way!
My first day was truly a bit uncommon. During the lunch break, I was scheduled to present what music therapy was to about 50 people including directors, administrators, PT’s, OT’S, SLP’s, NeuroPsychologists, etc. Knowing that a presentation was coming later that day, I spent all morning immersing myself in the culture observing sessions and looking for common buzzwords. What is the language of this culture? How can music therapy meet THEIR needs in a way THEY can understand? I have tons of hospice stories, but this is not hospice. What about my work in hospice is transferrable to this setting?
My presentation included:
*A musical opener that was engaging and interactive
*Handing out some fact sheets provided by the AMTA website while discussing the history of music therapy
*Credentials and education of a board-certified music therapist
*Explanation of the evidenced-based practices in music therapy based upon 60+ years of evidenced-based research
I made sure to discuss meta-analyses that have made it into Cochran review, as well as music therapy as a non-invasive approach to symptom management. After distinguishing the differences between a music entertainer and music therapist, I ended with a Q&A.
If I ask anyone what they retained after my first presentation, they may not be able to tell you much. Most of them will revert back to the Aha moment of, “you’re not an entertainer, but you use music to meet clinical needs of patients and families.” I view that as a huge success, personally. Others would tell me they remembered how enthusiastic I was during my presentation, or how they thought I was funny, or thought I would be someone they could have fun working with. Many more remember how brave I was presenting on the first day to an entire department.
These replies revealed something HUGE. Attitude and personality opens or closes doors. The way you present yourself initially will stick with you, especially in the beginning. So present the best you, while not taking yourself too seriously. Yes, professional and fun CAN be synonymous.
After my meeting, I was approached by our hospital’s Rehab Psych department director, asking how we can begin a literature review for music therapy research. An important thing to consider when beginning a new program in a population you are unfamiliar with, is to focus on becoming the best clinician you can be. I’m not worrying about research right now. I needed to give myself time. Furthering my education was key, especially if I were to be effective as a clinician.
I was fortunate to be attending Neurologic Music Therapy training the same week I started this job. This was negotiated into the work contract early on, so my absence came to no surprise to the hospital. I settled that it would be unwise to become certified, learn all the techniques I could, and try to implement a research study the very next week. The Rehab Psych director agreed. She even suggested how great the timing was to get to observe the facility and sessions, get a feel for the routine of the hospital, and then go off to get trained in NMT in order to come back to enhance what the services they were already providing.
Soon after my meeting with the Rehab Psych director, a physical therapist approached me. She had a patient that was a former employee who suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. The patient could only walk 13 meters with physical therapy the previous day. Maybe music could motivate the patient to walk more? I was willing to try. My first day was coming to a close and even though I was scared to attempt any type of RAS training not being NMT certified, I knew I could utilize the rhythmic component of music to create a structure for the patient to know when to engage in movement. With the patient’s family present, the physical therapist instructed the patient to watch me as I modeled proper walking form, and to move to the rhythm of the music when prompted. 73 meters later, the patient sat back down in her chair, having completely surprised herself. To the astonishment of the other therapists present, music therapy WORKED for this patient and helped to increase her walking distance. Within ten minutes, the news of a pt’s success in a music therapy co-treat reached administration, ultimately reaching all the way to the CEO.
That, my friends, is what we call a very “early win.” Early wins are stories of success. Allow these stories to be known. Does your hospital or facility have a monthly newspaper? Submit some stories for acknowledgement. Promote. Brag about your work with patients. Your supervisors won’t always know they things you are up to. It’s even better when other clinicians see your work and boast of your success. The more early wins you can rack up, the more you can sustain and ride success long term!
What a first day, right?? Flash forward, I’ve encountered many amazing days just in my first month. Sure, many days I’ve thought to myself, “School didn’t prepare me for this. Maybe one day I’ll go back as a professor and teach students (fill-in-the-blank)”. But school can’t possibly cover how-to’s for every situation you will encounter. In the lonely place of questions and lack of resources, we must tap into our creativity and leadership, trusting our education and intuition, throw in a smile and some confidence, and be excited to make many, many mistakes in order to learn.