I am on vacation for a week. I’ll write at you when I return.
Not a newfound podcast, but a good one
I am always looking for great reads and great podcasts, and there is one podcast that has not let me down yet. The Coffee Klatch had a fantastic interview of Dr. Duncan McKinlay, a psychologist who works with children and adolescents in clinical and school psychology. Dr. McKinlay has written about his own diagnosis of Tourette syndrome and shed some new light on this diagnosis.
If you’re interested in learning more about The Coffee Klatch, go ahead and click here.
Considerations of past clientele
About one month ago was my last day at the care center where I worked for one year. Not surprisingly, I miss the residents and their family members with whom I’d grown to know in that time. Though I worked there only part-time, I was still in the facility most days of the week. I feel like I knew many of the residents very well.
I bring this up because I spent some time last night with one of my close co-workers there. She asked me how my new work is going, and I reported that I am happy with it, and that I am stimulated and challenged by it. All of these things are true, but I do find myself wondering how the residents at my old job are doing. I asked her how work is going, and she shared that a nasty stomach flu is spreading through the facility and otherwise spoke in generalities. I had a lot of trouble keeping myself from asking her about certain residents, especially one whom I’d seen on a 1:1 basis weekly. I didn’t ask her, and we didn’t speak about anyone in particular, and I know we were in the right for discussing our respective work in the ways we did.
I recognize that this is a tricky subject in some ways. I remember taking a class on counseling strategies, and spending a whole day (the class was one of those intensive, days-long classes) discussing the ethical and correct manner in which to regard past clients should you, for example, see them on the street. This past weekend I saw two daughters of one of those care center residents leave a restaurant I was entering. They didn’t see me, and I know they were not people whom I had seen on a therapeutic level, but I was still wondering what I’d do and say to them had they talked to me.
I think this is always a delicate matter. I think there are graceful ways to do everything, but that grace comes from thoughtful preparation.
Georgia, Georgia
I’ve just read that the Georgia Senate has passed a state licensure bill for music therapy. More and more states, including Minnesota, are pushing for state licensure and a few already have it.
What I find troublesome about this news is that apparently the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is opposed to a music therapy state licensure in Georgia and has issued a call to action against it.
I hope this issue is cleared up quickly. I know I, and any music therapist I know, respect the profession of speech-language pathology, and those speech-language pathologists with whom I have any work-related relationship seem to find value in music therapy.
Honestly, I am just now learning of this, but I did find the ASHA’s call to action.
Here is where I first learned of this news. I find Daniel Tague, MME, MT-BC’s blog Music Makes Sense to be full of interesting music and music therapy news and information.
Laryngitis
I think it’s funny that when I lose my voice, I apparently lose all ability to do anything, including provide music therapy services and blog.
I’ve been really ill this week, but finally today feel that I was functional.
I had to plan my sessions with my weak voice in mind. I used recorded music much more this week than I ever have.
In the monthly meetings my area colleague friends and I have, we bring up common issues. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on dealing with sickness and the guilt that accompanies it (in my case, anyway).
I hope you are well!