Tomorrow's My Last Day at MTS

Well, I've survived my countdown, to say the least. Tomorrow is my last day at MTS and I have mixed feelings.

Things I'm excited for:
Seeing my family next week for a Caribbean Cruise!
Seeing family in Wisconsin for July 4th.
Seeing RCorry and Rachel in Vegas!
Moving back to California and starting "the next chapter" of our lives.

Things I'm not excited for:
Saying my final goodbyes tomorrow at work.
Leaving my first 'real' job.
Leaving my/our friends in Cincinnati.


Here are pictures from the rest of Teren's graduation week!


Teren and his parents: Rande and Adrienne


Adie, Aunt Robby (Rande's Sister), Me, and Ronna (Rande's Sister) Dinner at La Poste


Uncle Henry (Ronna's Hubby), Teren, and Rande

Family Fun!

Don't have too much time to blog today/this week as my family has been in town. Today was Teren's first graduation ceremony (the lonnggg one) that honored "Doctoral Hooding and Masters Recognition."


Hubby made it on the jumbo tron!

Tomorrow will be the All-CCM graduation and hopefully will be more intimate.

We are eating tons, laughing a lot, and making up for lost time!



Teren and Me at lunch at Montgomery Inn


Me, Ronna and Robby waiting in the car until we could be seated at Terry's Turf.



Adie, Teren, Me and Rande at Terry's Turf



More pictures to come! Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Countdown Begins

I'm a big countdown person. Once I know how many days until something occurs, I find it easier to make it through the days and then have something to look forward to. It's just how I work and how I get myself motivated.

Yesterday was my last day working with my groups and clients on Saturdays. Parents brought in two thoughtful and beautiful bouquets, a lotion gift set, cards, and hugs.


Flowers from my clients

So, here's my work countdown until my last day of work!

3 more Tuesdays
1 more Wednesday
2 more Thursdays

This Wednesday my In-laws and some extended family come into town for my husband's Masters Graduation from CCM. We actually moved to Cincinnati after our July 2009 wedding for him to pursue his Masters in Orchestral Conducting from CCM and now he is finally done! I'm so proud of him!


My in-laws and us at our wedding

I am looking forward to spending time with our family, packing up our apartment, and moving on to California!

3 Things...

...You Must Tell Your Client Before You Say "Goodbye" for Good.



In my last post about Termination, I discussed the five steps needed to make termination successful for both the client and yourself. Today I will discuss the three things you must tell your client before your final goodbye.

1. Appreciation
Tell them why you appreciate them. What you've done together, how much fun you've had together, why they're such a great musician, etc.

2. Regrets
Of course I wish I could spend more time with all of my clients! But, unfortunately, that is not the case. Tell your client something you regret. "I wish we could have worked some more on your guitar because you are sounding really good." "I was really looking forward to getting to know you better."

3. Gift/Wish
Wish something to your client. For example, "My wish for you is that you continue to spread music and joy to all those that hear you sing." or "I hope that you always remember me when you sing our favorite song, and remember that when I sing it, I'll always think of you, too." If you've made CD's, DVD's or projects, the last session is the perfect time to present them with this.

Some of my last sessions are this coming Saturday and this next week. I am preparing videos, photo slide shows, hand written notes to each and every client, and a Donut party for my Saturday morning groups.

Do you have any traditions for your last sessions with clients?

Spread the Word...

...to end the Word.



It's a serious matter. Help me spread the word to end the word.

The 5 Steps to a Successful Termination

As my last day at Music Therapy Services is quickly approaching, (June 21st) I have already started the termination process with my clients. Here are the 5 steps to make the termination process a success:

1. Announce it is going to end
This is the reason why it's ending. In my case, I'm moving. Make sure you, as a therapist, are emotionally ready and stable to let your clients know. Feelings will come up*.
2. Set a time frame
How many more sessions will the client/group have with you? Perhaps hand out calendars or make a visual aide depending on how they process information. I gave some of my older clients iCalendars with a countdown (ie. Two weeks left, one week left, last music together). During sessions with some of my younger clients, I use a picture schedule, with a picture of me for each week remaining.
3. Have a Plan
How will we use the remaining time together? Do we need to change our expectations of each other? What sorts of interventions should be implemented in the last several weeks?
4. Review what our goals have been
What sorts of goals and objectives have we been focusing on? Have they been successful? Should they be updated in order to meet that goal within the allotted time frame?
5. Plan new music opportunities for the rest of your time together
Plan and schedule interventions that will allow for closure. Maybe an intervention that allows a 'gift' to be provided after you go your separate ways. Things such as CD's, music videos, DVD's, recordings, song-writing interventions are always appropriate. Your final session is when you say your final goodbyes and present a 'gift' to your client.


* Identify and Express Feelings: Whether this be verbally or musically. Hopefully you have spent enough time with your client that you are able to identify signs of anger, denial, sadness, frustration. If unable to verbally express, plan interventions that will allow expression through music (drum improvisation, music listening, song writing, drawing/coloring to music, etc).

*Encourage and Empower the client: Let them know they'll be okay on their own, without you. If possible, always refer your clients to another music therapist, and process the transition with them. If not, let them know that although we won't be seeing each other, we will always remember the times we've had together. This is where the 'gift' makes it easier for a younger client.

Next post I'll discuss the three things you should tell your client before you say goodbye.

A Beautiful Goodbye

May and June always seem like the start of the goodbyes, or the endings. To start, we have TV show's season finales, where we'll all have to wait until next fall to see what happens to our favorite characters. Probably the biggest goodbye on TV this week was Oprah's last and final episode...her show ran for 25 years. American Idol and Dancing with the Stars also announced their winners.



And in my case, I have been announcing to all of my clients that I will soon be leaving. It definitely isn't the easiest thing I've had to do. Within music therapy, the process of termination is so important. When done correctly, the client and music therapist can have a sense of closure, can reflect on their time spent together, and can hope for something together for the future.

When I told one of my clients I was moving to California, after the initial shock, I asked him how he felt. He said, "Well, I guess I'll get a new music therapist (then he paused) but just because I won't see you doesn't mean we can't still keep in touch." I definitely agreed and commended him for being so mature about the whole situation (he's 10). He then went into an in depth discussion about the best way to contact him LOL! I definitely wasn't prepared by this reaction, but was pleasantly surprised, and once again I learned something from a client.

In my next post, I'll talk about the appropriate steps for termination.