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On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Samantha, a board certified music therapist. Music therapy is not as common as many other therapies you might be familiar with, there are only a few thousand certified therapists in the US. If you’re not familiar with it, I found more information on the American Music Therapy website: Music Therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship, it can help clients do things like manage stress and pain, express feelings, improve communication.

So if something in the therapy field interests you, and you also love music, this could be a path to consider. That said, there are some challenges in the field. Despite plenty of demand for this service, pay can be relatively low for the level of education and certification required, and like many other therapy fields, an unpaid internship is required. Services can be reimbursed through Medicaid but not typically private insurance, so the people who have access to this care is impacted by that.

We also talk a lot about the highs and lows of owning your own business, as well as Samantha’s side projects that are related to this work. That in itself is something to think about in your career choices. Many people want or need variety in their working hours or multiple streams of income. So when you think about a specific career path, you don’t necessarily have to be bound by the hours and pay of that one role full time, so many people find themselves kind of piecing together lots of things to create the life they really want. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it might be for you. The more people I speak with the more I find that the absolute key to finding work that fits into a joyful life is truly knowing yourself, what brings you joy, what causes misery, outside of the social expectations of what you *should* like and dislike, and finding the work that fits into that vision as well as your individual circumstances allow. The sooner you are able to know yourself like that, the happier you’ll be. So let’s get into it!

More about Music Therapy:

https://www.musictherapy.org/

Links to learn more about Samantha's work:

www.boisemusictherapycompany.com

www.instagram.com/boisemusictherapy

www.instagram.com/everybrainisdifferent

Two other episodes to check out if you liked this one:

Child Psychologist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/child-psychologist/id1673653251?i=1000612471128

Therapist in Private Practice: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapist-private-practice/id1673653251?i=1000619359028

If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73

Transcripts are now available here: www.realwork

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