Music Therapy Internship

The music therapy internship is designed to give the intern the opportunity to develop and refine their clinical skills. The intern will work under the guidance of their internship supervisor while learning to assume the full range of responsibilities of an entry-level professional music therapist. The internship is a full-time commitment with the consistent schedule of Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As internship progresses, there may be opportunities for occasional offsite days to allow the intern to learn repertoire and build their research knowledge. There are no weekend or evening obligations for the music therapy intern. Presently, Children’s National Hospital offers one music therapy internship opportunity each year beginning in January and ending in June. 

The internship process focuses on learning through shadowing during the first stage of internship. The intern will shadow their supervisor as they facilitate music therapy sessions at bedside and in clinic. As the internship progresses, the intern will be given opportunities to co-treat with their supervisor during bedside visits and occasional group sessions. This transition is structured to appropriately challenge the intern while expanding the depth of their clinical experiences. The intern will receive in-the-moment guidance and feedback during this stage and begin leading sessions on their own. In the last two months of internship, the intern will independently carry a full caseload and bear responsibility for all music therapy related tasks for those patients. Ultimately, the intern will have the opportunity to develop treatment goals, implement music therapy services and share their clinical insights with other professionals. While the intern will work primarily with their internship supervisor, they will have the opportunity to work with other members of the music therapy and psychosocial team throughout internship. This may occur in the form of intern shadowing and/or co-facilitation of music therapy services in individual, family or group settings. 

Clinical experiences in CCBD center primarily on individual sessions between the patient and the music therapist. It is common for family members to be present with patients at bedside or in clinic and the intern will have opportunities to facilitate family music therapy sessions. As for group experience, the music therapy program will occasionally facilitate group sessions for patients of similar age and goal focuses in communal rooms. These are often small group experiences with group sizes ranging from two to four individuals. Virtual group experiences for teens are additionally available and are moderated by the music therapy team. 

Throughout the internship experience, the intern will be expected to attend weekly psychosocial rounds with the purpose of discussing and adapting patient care goals based on relevant information from the meeting. As the intern progresses through the phases of internship, they will become more active in relaying their clinical insights to the psychosocial team. The psychosocial team consists of social workers, psychologists, music therapists, art therapists, chaplain, palliative care, education specialists and child life specialists.

Before the conclusion of internship, the intern will be expected to complete one project that will benefit the music therapy program and assist them in their professional growth outside of Children’s National Hospital. This project is designed to further the intern’s interest in a particular area of music therapy. Therefore, the intern will have the opportunity to shape this project with the guidance of their internship supervisor. Previous examples of appropriate projects include presenting to other units about music therapy, submitting a grant for music therapy funding and developing group sessions. The internship supervisor will communicate regularly with the intern throughout internship to support this process.