Comments on: What influences progress in therapy?

By: Box Hill Speech Therapy

Box Hill Speech Therapy — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 23:58:41 +0000

With children it really does depend on all three people involved: The therapist, the child and the parent. If one of them is not engaged then the whole triangle falls to pieces. In my opinion you need everybody to want to learn and help the other person out. Thank you for your thoughts.

By: Natasha Haftel, M.A CCC-SLP

Natasha Haftel, M.A CCC-SLP — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 03:35:41 +0000

Nice post, Rhiannan! I myself have only worked in private clinic settings since the beginning of my SLP career. I was a classroom teacher for three years before going back to school to study speech-language pathology. I loved teaching, the school environment, and the financial security of schools, but once it was time to look for a job, I couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing what change I can really affect in a supportive private clinic setting. I have not been able to turn back since. It is just phenomenal how much one can learn in a private practice and how fast and real the change in client progress is! I was lucky enough to work in a private practice that really works hard on making it financially possible for all interested clients to find a way to attend. I hope to one day start my own practice as well (perhaps when I have finished my round-the-world speech therapy trip/blog and after getting a few more years of experience under my belt).
My biggest concern with starting an independent practice is staying connected to/collaborating with/learning from other professional in the area. Have you found any strategies for continuing to stay connected with other speech-language pathologists and related professionals (e.g., OT, PT, educators) after starting your practice? If so, I would love any advice! Cheers!

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 09:13:37 +0000

I love this post – this is exactly what I’ve found too. My whole view of therapy has changed – the flexibility to fit in with what works for a particular child and family makes a huge difference I think eg sessions at school or home, suitable days and times etc. Also, knowing a child really well means that you can target therapy so much more effectively. And seeing you working with the child every week also has a much greater impact on people around the child – when people see a strategy working, they are much more likely to use it themselves, than if they are just told to. I too have never seen so much progress! Helen