It’s a well-known fact in the music therapy profession that most of us are women. It’s also a common stereotype that women should be these nice, sweet, gentle creatures. However, as a professional woman, this may not be the perception we want and being “nice” can have some downsides. When you do a Google search for “are women too nice,” headlines pop up like “What ‘She’s too nice!’ really means,” “Quit being so nice,” and “Do nice gals finish last?”
On top of that, not only are most music therapists women, but we’re therapists as well. Active listening, compassionate, caring, and, yes, even nice therapists. Is this a double-whammy for us? Are music therapists in general too nice?
In episode 42 of the Music Therapy Round Table podcast, we’ll discuss the benefits and pitfalls of being too nice, both from the perspective of an individual professional and from the larger perspective of the profession as a whole.
Items mentioned in the episode
- [RESOURCE] The Journal of Music Therapy – The American Music Therapy Association’s premier research journal is undergoing some exciting changes
- [ANNOUNCEMENT] We want to give a special thank you to the supporters of Music Therapy Pro. These supporters give discounts to all Music Therapy Pro members:
- [SUNDAY SUCCESS] This month’s Sunday Success comes from Courtney Biddle. Here’s what she shared over in the Facebook Forum: “I totally rocked by CMTE today! I challenged myself in new and different ways, and it turned out great.” Congratulations Courtney! What an amazing feeling, not only to challenge and push yourself, but to surpass your expectations. We hope you have this feeling many times over in your career!
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What do you think?
We always welcome comments and questions. Simply fill out the comment field below to let us know what you think.
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Download the latest episode here or subscribe by email for free to automatically get new episodes sent to you.
Come join us!
You can easily find all three of us online through Twitter and Facebook. Click the links below to connect with us at once:
Michelle Erfurt: Twitter, Facebook
Rachel Rambach: Twitter, Facebook
Kimberly Sena Moore: Twitter, Facebook
A main tenant of being a therapist is that you must have a relationship with your client…one that involves using techniques like listening, reflecting, challenging, and educating (and that’s only to name a few). When therapists and clients build their relationship, the therapist will experience resistance and feelings that are displaced onto the them from their clients. This can lead the professional to feel a lack of direction, a loss of confidence with their services and overall burnout.
Music therapists are not immune to these feelings just because they work primarily with music. So what can we do to help us work through all of this? Seek professional supervision. This will allow the therapist to gain insight into their work… along with many other benefits. In Episode 41 of the podcast, special guest Roia Rafieyan will teach us about all that professional supervision has to offer.
Roia Rafieyan is a music therapist in her 26th year of service. She uses a relationally-based music psychotherapy approach in her practice and works primarily with adults diagnosed with autism. Roia candidly shares her clinical experiences in her blog “the mindful music therapist”. She provides professional clinical supervision and advocates the use of music making during supervision as part of the learning and growth process. Roia is also an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, where she teaches guitar to music therapy students.
Items mentioned in the episode
- [RESOURCE] The Mindful Music Therapist – Roia’s blog.
- [RESOURCE] CMTE Course Pinterest Board – put together by music therapist Mary Hale.
- [ANNOUNCEMENT] We want to give a special thank you to the supporters of Music Therapy Pro. These supporters give discounts to all Music Therapy Pro members:
- [SUNDAY SUCCESS] JoAnn Jordan is on fire! She has self published a book: Sparking Lives with Themes and Music. This book has materials and resources that will come in handy when you are planning intergenerational groups. It has also been called: a ‘must have for anyone starting an intergenerational program with preschool aged children adn older adults’. Congratulations JoAnn!
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What do you think?
We always welcome comments and questions. Simply fill out the comment field below to let us know what you think.
Subscribe for free!
Download the latest episode here or subscribe by email for free to automatically get new episodes sent to you.
Come join us!
You can easily find all three of us online through Twitter and Facebook. Click the links below to connect with us at once:
Michelle Erfurt: Twitter, Facebook
Rachel Rambach: Twitter, Facebook
Kimberly Sena Moore: Twitter, Facebook
