As the title reads, I am in my seventh week of internship and wow has it gone fast! I have so enjoyed learning from multiple music therapists in such a rich learning environment. That being said, it would be dishonest of me to say that it has only been dandelions and roses.
This week was especially challenging as I was met with my first set of constructive criticisms for my time at internship. Accepting criticisms, critiques, and recommendations for many people can be very challenging, but are vital to growth through supervision.
And so, after a busy day filled with students a plenty, and one hefty conversation weighing on my mind I got into my car and headed home. It was on this car ride that I took the opportunity to reflect on the critiques that I had been given and two things kept coming to mind:
1.) If you want to gain the most from this experience, you need to be transparent.
Transparency is an interesting concept in a supervisory context. It breaks down to being entirely open and honest with your supervisors. It is incredibly important to be able to express your concerns, in a professional context especially when you deal so intimately with others’ wellness as a therapist does.
2.) What happens next is up to me.
It occurred to me that moving forward I have the control to fuel the growth that needs to happen, or stay stagnant. What happened next was entirely up to me, and I chose growth.
My message today is an honest one for many students, interns, and people out there: constructive criticism from another person who cares for your betterment professionally, scholastically, or otherwise is not going to be more than you can bear, or out of your reach. You can do this.
Best wishes for an amazing week!
Excellent post! Just remember that the internship is a time to develop, fine tune and polish your existing skills as well as learn additional skills. You will be so thankful in the very near future that you listened to criticisms and grew from them. :)