The violin simply sat in its case. But it accomplished more than I thought I would. It broke the ice with a client I’d been working with no progress for 3 months. Inside I was screaming in joy and excitement but I masked those feelings with professional composure. I stayed professional, helpful, and, open to the client. 
It’s one of the strongest lessons I learned as an intern. Excitement, passion and enthusiasm can be channeled into helping any client professionally.
The violin gave us the opening we needed to work on goals in a clinical setting. The best part about being an intern is that one can be enthusiastic, passionate, and excited. The internship is a unique opportunity to focus on research, our clients, and keep up with the newest treatment frameworks. All work is closely clinically supervised, so the intern is never truly “flying solo.”  This combination helps us
constantly put the patient first.

Anyway, back to the violin. Joannie hated coming to therapy. Though her family, school and everyone felt she  needed therapy, she wasn’t happy about coming. She’d come, wait for 30 minutes and get out of there faster than a hatzolah guy responding to an emergency.
The moment of me seeing Joannie pick up the guitar and begin to open up was triumphant. It hit me that I’ve established connections with
several clients who haven’t really showed up before. This included the kid who barely showed up for appointments  before I saw them, and the
man who felt I was out to get him, talked constantly about changing
therapists- and still came- week after week. This impact motivated me to work harder on behalf of my clients. I realized my strong point was
getting people who didn’t want to come, to come. Some relationships
are harder to develop than others. We need to “work it” the entire 45 minutes.  The client needs to walk out generally helped, with long
term and short term goals in mind. This one took a while to figure out.

I first called her and validated concerns about not wanting to be there.  I used the psycho-educational approach. I told her that
therapy isn’t just about talking. It could be about learning new skills, identifying goals important to the client. And, through that interaction, create a space where the client can be heard and realize
the value of our work together.  Then, on the way to the appointment, I grabbed the violin.
Joannie walked in and saw the guitar. And, in moments made for tv movies, put the violin in her hands, and opened up about concerns and
skills she hoped to learn. This was a crucial moment in developing a foundation where the client and therapist can effectively work to meet
goals. That will hopefully lead to discharge.

This incident taught me a lot about my strong points. My instincts are pretty good. When coupled with research, great supervision, and
learning from the great clinicians at my agency, the results can be amazing. The extra time interns have also helps us to constantly
search for resources and methods for our clients. It also made me feel like I can “sell’ therapy to anybody. At the end of the day, the
client needs to be treated with dignity and respect.  A working relationship will hopefully help clients ( even ones who don’t want to
come) meet their goals.
The session ended with the client talking about the next session and looking forward to looking up songs on Youtube. The incident made me
more passionate and enthusiastic about working hard on behalf of the
client. And, playing some basic violin may have been one of the many extra vehicles I have learned to implement in my journey as a
intern. Grad school is an amazing time of growing and learning together with clients. It’s a journey I’m hoping that will enrich both
myself and my current and future clients.


The author interns at a mental health agency and will be happy to address any concerns or comments you have. When she’s not writing her
blog, she’s researching, advocating and never fails to stop believing in her clients. E-mail  [email protected] with any comments or
questions