5 Qualities To Look For In A Speech Therapist

Speech therapy is the savior in more circumstances than many people are aware of. A speech therapist helps those ranging from sufferers of a traumatic brain injury to ADHD students, to those with Alzheimer’s, and much more in-between. When you or a loved one is falling behind in school or not able to communicate the way they’d like to, it’s a difficult time for everyone.

Knowing that there is someone to help you is relieving, but how do you know if a speech therapist is the right fit for you or your loved one? Because their job is such an important one, you want someone who exceeds your expectations. Listed below are the top 5 qualities to look for when selecting a speech therapist.

Your speech therapist should:

1. Use Multiple Motivators During Sessions

It’s your speech therapist’s job to find ways to engage you or your loved one in the session by using multiple motivators during the sessions. The best way to help your therapist find good motivators is to let them know yours or your loved one’s favorite colors, activities, hobbies, and other favorites. Also, don’t worry if you notice the therapist using the same tools more than once.

There are several ways that a therapist can use one tool for different activities. As long as you see that the therapist is using multiple motivators to work towards goals and activities, then you know they’re doing their job.

2. Be Updated on Current Therapy Techniques

Your speech therapist should always be updated on current therapy techniques. To do so, speech therapists should attend conferences with other professionals and continue their education by taking classes and attending training sessions. They use the most updated resources to keep their skills and knowledge current.

Your therapist should also be willing to learn from his or her mistakes. Learning is something that happens to us every day. There is also something new to learn and with new clients, come new learning experiences.

This is why it’s okay if you see your therapist make a mistake, as long as he or she learns from the mistake and grows from it. Failures can be the best learning experiences and if one technique doesn’t work well, your therapist should take the knowledge gathered from this a find a way to turn it into success.

3. Use Great Listening Skills

Although you want a therapist who can come to you with a wide variety of knowledge on techniques, goals, and skills, it’s also important that he or she comes to you with great listening skills. Your therapist should know when to explain what he or she needs to do and what their patient needs to do, and they should know when to listen to the patient.

A therapist that takes the time to listen to his or her patient ensures the best teamwork. Your ideal therapist should be a team player. This means that he or she should collaborate with you, other therapist, parents, doctors, and other professionals or loved ones involved.

4. Be Persistent Each and Every Day

When other doctors, professionals, or loved ones doubt your success, your speech therapist should be there to persistently motivate you. Speech therapists work with their patients every day to ensure that they are doing everything that they can to reach the set goals. It’s important that your speech therapist remains motivated.

Your therapist should have the ability to learn what motivates you and then use that to empower you through your sessions each and every day. Speech therapists have no easy task, so it’s vital that yours knows how to stick it out through the most difficult of times.

5. Be Both Adaptable and Innovative

Speech-language pathology is a very vast field and with so many different diagnoses, therapies, speech devices, and more, it’s vital that your speech therapist is ready to be adaptable. And a speech therapist might work in a home setting one year, but the next work in a research center. So, it’s essential that your therapist is able to adapt to different patients, surroundings, and cases.

This is also true when he or she attends training sessions or when he or she is continuing his or her education. Speech therapists cannot become set on specific therapies or techniques. They must be able to accept any advances in the field.

They must also be innovative. They should utilize technology when needed and take what they learn from each session or patient and develop new ways and better ways to execute a therapy depending on the individual. Some techniques might work well with one patient, but not with another.

You are an individual and what works best for you might not be what works best for all of the other patients that your therapist has. Understand this, and be sure that your therapist understands it as well.

Have You Found Your Ideal Speech Therapist?

If you’re on the hunt for your ideal speech therapist, then look no further. Here at Great Speech Inc., we work with you through the convenience of online sessions. Using web-based video technology, our expert speech therapists are able to connect with people from all over the world and provide them with the same benefits as they would receive in a face-to-face session.

Our speech therapists will engage in activities with you online and then set up materials and additional resources for you to practice reaching your goals at home without them. For your ideal speech therapist, contact us today by clicking the button below and request a free consultation.