When I was in college, a big ice-breaker amongst the academic crowd in social situations was, “What is your major?” Being young and having the people in my class understanding my lingo, I typically answered, “SLP” which was, 90% of the time, quickly followed up with, “Oh. What is that?” Whether you have heard the terms Speech Therapist, Speech Teacher, Communication Therapist, or another term, our technical title and degree is that of a Speech and Language Pathologist, commonly abbreviated SLP. An SLP is a highly-qualified professional who works to evaluate and treat individuals of all ages to work on speech skills, language skills, social skills, fluency/stuttering, voice, alternative and assistive communication pathways, swallowing and feeding skills, and deafness/hearing rehabilitation. As one of my professors in grad school liked to say, “We deal with the lungs up.”
Many times, a person in a social setting will tell me, “My brother had speech therapy as a kid! I couldn’t say my /R/.” While I am thrilled they actually have an idea of what I do, it is so much more than just being the “/R/ teacher.” In a single day, I could help to feed an adult with severe cerebral palsy, evaluate the voice quality of someone who has had a stroke, treat a young person with childhood apraxia of speech, teach conventional grammar to a preschooler, work on lipreading with someone who has cochlear implants and can’t hear the “noisy sounds”, help a teenager be able to get their idea for their assignment into a cohesive paragraph, and then work on the /R/ sound with a school-aged child.
As a young graduate student, I honestly wasn’t even familiar with all the aspects of the scope of practice of my chosen profession. It is a lot! Typically, however, most SLPs will get most of their training and specialization in a few areas within the field, which is important in choosing an SLP for yourself or a loved one. In my own practice, I have been very fortunate to be in several different settings and working with clients with a wide range of disabilities, allowing me to work with all of the above disorders and issues. I have the unique opportunity to be a “Jack-of-all-trades” working in a private practice clinic. That being said, even I have my strengths and specializations, such as language and literacy, working with several clients with Apraxia, and a strength in school setting paperwork, such as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). When looking for an SLP, it may be a good idea to get a sense of their experience and plan for therapy.
As I mentioned, I work in a private practice as an SLP, working in both the outpatient setting and in contracted positions, both long-term and short-term with Rehab Specialists. Some other places an SLP could work include school settings (both public and private), hospital settings, skilled nursing facilities, adult training facility, rehabilitation clinics, universities, and early intervention going into people’s homes to train them in communication for children birth to 3. As you can see, we are diverse in this field.
Another aspects of SLPs which can be confusing for people not familiar with the field are all of those letters after our names. I sign my name Kathleen Dames, M.S. CCC-SLP. The M.S. after my name stands for “Master of Science.” This is significant because SLPs must have a master’s level education to become eligible for state licensure to practice. Some universities offer Master of Art degrees for speech-language pathology, so you may also see M.A. after some SLP’s signatures. The CCC after my name stands for “Certificate of Clinical Competence.” This means that after I graduated with my master’s degree, I worked a clinical fellowship year as an SLP with a certified SLP as my advisor. After having monthly observations and someone to continue to learn under, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association granted me my “Cs,” showing that I was certified to provide highly-qualified services. If an SLP is in their clinical fellowship year, they will typically sign their name with CF, indicating “Clinical Fellow”. Fear not, however; most CFs are wonderful, qualified SLPs working under supervision and are still able to provide quality therapy services. Lastly, I sign SLP at the end of my signature, and I hope I have explained well enough what that stands for in this blog entry!
I plan on writing more blog posts in the future explaining what each aspect of speech therapy entails and how exactly a speech therapist can help. If you have any specific questions at this time, please leave a comment below and I hope to answer your questions in a timely manner. If you are an SLP reading this and you think I have forgotten something important, please add your input below! I am obviously speaking from personal experience. Lastly, if you are considering a career as an SLP, please contact us here at the office to learn more, set up a meeting or observation with one of us, and to make a contact. Until next time!
Kathleen
Many times, a person in a social setting will tell me, “My brother had speech therapy as a kid! I couldn’t say my /R/.” While I am thrilled they actually have an idea of what I do, it is so much more than just being the “/R/ teacher.” In a single day, I could help to feed an adult with severe cerebral palsy, evaluate the voice quality of someone who has had a stroke, treat a young person with childhood apraxia of speech, teach conventional grammar to a preschooler, work on lipreading with someone who has cochlear implants and can’t hear the “noisy sounds”, help a teenager be able to get their idea for their assignment into a cohesive paragraph, and then work on the /R/ sound with a school-aged child.
As a young graduate student, I honestly wasn’t even familiar with all the aspects of the scope of practice of my chosen profession. It is a lot! Typically, however, most SLPs will get most of their training and specialization in a few areas within the field, which is important in choosing an SLP for yourself or a loved one. In my own practice, I have been very fortunate to be in several different settings and working with clients with a wide range of disabilities, allowing me to work with all of the above disorders and issues. I have the unique opportunity to be a “Jack-of-all-trades” working in a private practice clinic. That being said, even I have my strengths and specializations, such as language and literacy, working with several clients with Apraxia, and a strength in school setting paperwork, such as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). When looking for an SLP, it may be a good idea to get a sense of their experience and plan for therapy.
As I mentioned, I work in a private practice as an SLP, working in both the outpatient setting and in contracted positions, both long-term and short-term with Rehab Specialists. Some other places an SLP could work include school settings (both public and private), hospital settings, skilled nursing facilities, adult training facility, rehabilitation clinics, universities, and early intervention going into people’s homes to train them in communication for children birth to 3. As you can see, we are diverse in this field.
Another aspects of SLPs which can be confusing for people not familiar with the field are all of those letters after our names. I sign my name Kathleen Dames, M.S. CCC-SLP. The M.S. after my name stands for “Master of Science.” This is significant because SLPs must have a master’s level education to become eligible for state licensure to practice. Some universities offer Master of Art degrees for speech-language pathology, so you may also see M.A. after some SLP’s signatures. The CCC after my name stands for “Certificate of Clinical Competence.” This means that after I graduated with my master’s degree, I worked a clinical fellowship year as an SLP with a certified SLP as my advisor. After having monthly observations and someone to continue to learn under, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association granted me my “Cs,” showing that I was certified to provide highly-qualified services. If an SLP is in their clinical fellowship year, they will typically sign their name with CF, indicating “Clinical Fellow”. Fear not, however; most CFs are wonderful, qualified SLPs working under supervision and are still able to provide quality therapy services. Lastly, I sign SLP at the end of my signature, and I hope I have explained well enough what that stands for in this blog entry!
I plan on writing more blog posts in the future explaining what each aspect of speech therapy entails and how exactly a speech therapist can help. If you have any specific questions at this time, please leave a comment below and I hope to answer your questions in a timely manner. If you are an SLP reading this and you think I have forgotten something important, please add your input below! I am obviously speaking from personal experience. Lastly, if you are considering a career as an SLP, please contact us here at the office to learn more, set up a meeting or observation with one of us, and to make a contact. Until next time!
Kathleen
(Originally published 9/4/18)
Additional Resources:
“What Is A Speech-Language Pathologist?” Handout
Additional Resources:
“What Is A Speech-Language Pathologist?” Handout
https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/162%20SLPs.pdf
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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