We’re so pleased that you’re applying for an internship at Integrated Therapy of Northern Colorado. We are passionate and committed to our clients and the profession of music therapy. We are looking for someone who shares our excitement for the field of music therapy and client-centered care.
We are now accepting applications for the Fall 2024 Internship session
Deadlines to Apply:
Summer/Fall Intern Session (July-December) - Submit Materials by November 30th
Winter/Spring Intern Session (January-June)- Submit Materials by May 31st
At this time, the internship with ITNC is a Colorado State University Affiliated internship only.
Internship Description: Integrated Therapy of Northern Colorado is dedicated to providing high quality music therapy services to individuals with developmental and acquired disabilities as well as collaborating with community partners in creating strong community supports. As an intern, you will partner with us to provide one-on-one and group music therapy services customized to meet the needs and preferences of each client and their family. You’ll work with children and adults, utilizing evidence-based music therapy experiences to address communication, cognitive, motor, and social goal areas. Each individual placement includes a comprehensive assessment, collaboration with the client's other health care team members, and on-going documentation of all sessions. You’ll receive exposure to these evaluation procedures as well as personalized instruction on how to improve your own skills at assessments, documentation, and ongoing evaluation. As one of our interns you’ll be part of our dynamic team of five music therapists and be able to take part in our ongoing group development and learning opportunities. The intern will be expected to work 35-40 hours per week for six months. You’ll receive formal supervision by the internship supervisor as well as informal feedback from our entire team giving you the space to grow into your own therapist ready to leave at the end of the six months and deliver high-quality music therapy services.
Our Staff:
The intern will get an opportunity to work with and learn from each member of our team on varying levels. If there is a specific person you would love to learn from, then we can be accommodating with that in completing the intern’s schedule. You will also participate in our group development meetings where you will interact as a colleague and member of our team. We have staff meetings once per month and development meetings once per month. Additionally, we have team bonding events every quarter where we gather to relax and decompress.
Sabra Chavez, MM, MT-BC-Director of Services
Carly Flaagan, MM, MT-BC-Student Liaison Coordinator, Internship Director
Kara Shobe, MM, MT-BC-Client and Family Liaison
Mary Asimos, MMT, MT-BC-Social Media Coordinator
Cecily Meade, MM, MT-BC
Yu-Hsin Chang, MM, MT-BC
Jaley A. Montgomery, MM, MT-BC, PhD Student
Four Cornerstones of ITNC:
Assumed Competency- that the individuals that we serve are capable, intelligent people that benefit from individualized supports as they grow in autonomy, independence, and potential.
Psychomotor regulation- that the development of neurological mechanisms that modulate every individual's actions, communication, and cognition are foundational to independence and learning. Our clients may be striving against output and behavior systems that do not always line up with their intentions. Supports and accommodations that promote their self-regulation and address root difficulties are facilitated using musical interventions.
Total communication strategies- the importance of a variety of communication strategies to provide the opportunity for each individual to functionally and relationally interact with others.
Therapy CAN be FUN- a variety of preferred and improvised music along with instruments and interactive movement can motivate greater participation in challenging skill areas.
Populations Served: Interns will work with a variety of populations. ITNC primarily works with individuals who have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. We see clients with a diverse array of preferences, needs, and considerations. Our clients are seen as individuals first, although we use evidence-informed practice to tailor our sessions to best serve each person. Diagnoses that we see in our clients include but are not limited to: Autism, Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Learning Disabilities, Brain Injury, Parkinsonism, etc. ITNC also holds community partnerships and/or contracts with local organizations serving at-risk youth, and other people groups.
Setting Descriptions: ITNC provides individual and group services both in-home (online and in person) and at ITNC’s Fort Collins clinic. Home sessions can be in Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, etc. Clinic sessions will be in one of three of our treatment rooms. Our clinic also has a telehealth/recording studio, a staff work area, and a “jam room”. Our clinic has many variations of adaptive sensory equipment and instruments that are kept in the general area for all to use.
Entry Level Requirements: We are looking for students who are proficient in piano, guitar, and voice with ability to show consistent rhythm and tempo. Each student must have the flexibility in all of these instruments to change the style, pattern, meter, tempo, dynamics, etc. to effectively use music to support in-the-moment needs of the client. At ITNC, we value professionalism and expect timeliness and reliability in order to best serve our clients and gain the most learning in their internship experience. We are looking for someone with strong verbal and written communication skills.
Example Assignments and Projects
The intern will start with small weekly assignments that are built on scaffolding principles leading to professional level documentation by the end of the six months. The intern will simultaneously be working on one large project throughout the progression of the internship. The project can be tailored to fit the intern’s interest and will be decided on by the intern and the internship supervisor. Below are examples of specific assignments and expectations.
*Friday song share: The intern must learn and memorize one song each week to demonstrate for a staff member
*Weekly documentation: As discussed above, there will be one assignment due each week pertaining to documentation. It will start small with documentation examples (such as one basic S.O.A.P note due) and end with a full assessment due. These assignments will be built to avoid busy work and instead help to build and foster the professional documentation skills that you will need as a professional therapist.
*Toolkit building: Each week, an intern must add one resource to a shared toolkit. This could be a therapeutic music experience, an assessment tool, a sensory regulation strategy, etc. This is again designed to benefit the intern so that they have a resource and digital take-away for their professional life following internship.
*Monthly article reviews: The intern will be expected to summarize and share the results of six articles to the team and how that could impact music therapy practice to hone the skill of maintaining evidence-informed practice.
*The intern will complete one research project by the end of the six months. This could be a case study, a survey project, an experimental design, a feasibility study, etc.
*Mock Interview: At the end of the internship, the intern will choose an example position that they would like to apply for and the team will work together to create a mock interview tailored for that position to help prepare the intern for that step in their career.
Of Note: We do not offer housing, meals, stipend, or transportation. About 66% of the intern’s schedule will take place in the clinic in order to cut down on transportation costs, while 33% of the schedule will require personal transportation to sites in Northern Colorado. Each intern will need to have a license, personal transportation, and vehicle insurance. Liability insurance will be covered by Colorado State University.
Internship Requirements:
Completed CPR/first aid training by the start date of the internship.
Reliable vehicle and vehicle insurance
Background check through the university provider
University affiliate agreement/liability insurance with CSU
COVID Response: As a healthcare setting in Colorado, ITNC is following all COVID-related guidance and mandates including masking, social distancing, cleaning, and client and therapist symptom monitoring. Required PPE is provided by ITNC, and interns are required to follow all COVID related policies at all times while fulfilling their work with ITNC. Due to the elevated risk to the clients and families that we work with, and the requirements of our various contracts, ITNC will very strongly recommend that interns receive the COVID vaccine. Not receiving the vaccine will greatly limit the clients and opportunities available to the intern.
