What makes a good speech and language therapist

Tom Clark — Speech and language therapists are caring professionals whose job usually involves working with children to help them develop language skills and learn to cope with speech deficiencies and difficulties. It's a rewarding career and working as a speech and language therapist is a great way to help others through some of the most embarrassing and troubling issues.

Speech anomalies, such as stutters and lisps, can be among the most troubling and humiliating ailments. Often developed at an early age, speech difficulties can leave children feeling voiceless, shy and embarrassed to speak, though with speech therapy these issues are usually resolved before adulthood. Being a good speech therapist means being a counsellor, a doctor, and a detective all rolled into one, making it a challenging but rewarding role. Speech therapists have to ask themselves questions, such as why a patient struggles with their speech (is it the result of a physical or an emotional problem, for example), how they can help and how the patient feels about their ailment. It can be complicated, difficult work, but helping someone to get their voice back is one of the best jobs in the world. So what does it take to make a really great speech and language therapist?

First, you have to be a people-person and comfortable around children. Although some speech and language therapy is focussed on adults (for example, those whose speech difficulties were not addressed in youth or who have suffered physical issues which have impeded speech, such as a stroke), the vast majority of speech therapy work is with children. If you're not comfortable working with kids, then they won't be comfortable working with you. Speech therapists need to be empathetic and relatable, which when working with kids means you must be kind, confident, and caring.

Second, a really great therapist never stops learning. Although you will have no doubt been through excellent training before you start your search for speech & language therapy jobs, keeping your knowledge topped up is crucial. Read through cutting-edge studies and learn to question the evidence for the benefit of different forms of therapy. Keeping a critical mind will put you ahead of the rest of the pack, so make sure you stay up to date in your field.

Finally, although you are the expert in the room, when it comes to speech therapy you must also be willing to work harmoniously alongside parents, relatives, or guardians of your patients. Whilst it might be difficult to take on board some of their comments, especially if they are at odds with your diagnosis or recommended course of treatment, you must be willing to listen, explain and assist family members with their concerns about your patient. Make sure you address both the needs of parent and child in any consultation, in order to meet the needs of the family as a whole.

 

About the Author

Tom Clark is a speech therapist and linguist with 20 years' experience helping young people find their voice. He blogs about linguistics and therapy and offers advice on how to find and secure speech & language therapy jobs for budding speech therapists all over the world.