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.
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