Time is Flying

This past Friday was my two-month anniversary at the VA hospital. I can't believe I'm already 1/3 of the way through with my internship! Time is simply flying by. I've already gone from observing, to co-leading, to leading sessions on my own. I have my first patient, the start of my own caseload, and on Tuesday I will lead a group, solo, for the first time. 

G4V is in full swing now. The more I observe and take part in that program, the more I realize the value of it. All the guys in the program are so supportive of each other; especially in the therapeutic group, some of the guys who have been through the program before stay and volunteer for the beginner's class time. They provide musical, and emotional, support for the new veterans. I believe that fostering an atmosphere where the veterans can support each other is sometimes the best thing we can do for them. These veterans understand each other in a way I never could. They understand the struggles of PTSD and anxiety, losing a child, battling diabetic neuropathy, or simply trying to master the guitar at the age of 70, because they've experienced it too.  I can try to offer support or empathy, but the reality is I simply haven't shared their experiences. Sometimes our job as a therapist is just to provide a place where clients can support each other, in a safe environment while pursuing a common goal. And now  that I am witnessing that sense of community, I realize how important it truly is. 

Time to answer a question I hear a lot! When I tell people I'm a music therapy intern, they usually want to know, (after making the face that says 'what is music therapy?'), who do I work with? What does a normal week look like? Well, a normal week right now starts off with individual sessions. We may see patients who have Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, or multi-infarct dementia. On Monday nights we have two therapeutic sessions of G4V, for clients who struggle with PSTD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, cognitive disorders, and diabetic neuropathy. On Tuesdays we do a cognitive stimulation group for long-term care residents, and attend an interdisciplinary team meeting. Then we have more individual sessions. We see several different patients who have suffered a CVA (stroke) every week, and each patient has different goals: regaining speech oral motor coordination, attention control training, regaining use of upper extremities, working with aphasia, and breath control. We see patients individually for mood disorders, depression, and PTSD. We also have sessions for physical disabilities resulting from traumatic injury, such as a car wreck, or brain damage from various causes. One afternoon a week during lunch, we provide live music for long-term care residents, and usually bring volunteers with us to help out. And every Friday afternoon, we do bedside music sessions on the palliative/hospice care unit. It's a busy schedule, and I'm always seeing something/someone new!