Speech Therapist

Overview:

• The Speech Therapist is responsible for assessing, diagnosing, and treating speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages. 
• They work with clients to improve their ability to communicate effectively and to address difficulties with speech production, articulation, language comprehension and expression, voice quality, fluency, and swallowing function.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive assessments to identify speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders. 
• Administer standardized tests, observe clients' communication skills, and gather information from clients, families, and other professionals to determine areas of need.
• Develop individualized treatment plans based on assessment findings, client goals, and evidence-based practice. 
• Establish measurable goals and objectives to address clients' specific communication and swallowing challenges.
• Provide direct therapy services to clients using a variety of techniques and modalities tailored to their needs. 
• Conduct therapy sessions to improve speech production, language skills, communication strategies, voice quality, fluency, and swallowing function.
• Work with clients to develop and enhance their language comprehension and expression skills. 
• Provide strategies and interventions to improve vocabulary, grammar, syntax, pragmatics, and social communication abilities.
• Help clients improve their speech sound production and articulation skills. 
• Use exercises, drills, and activities to target accurate speech sound production and to remediate speech sound errors.
• Assess and treat voice disorders, including problems with pitch, volume, resonance, and vocal quality. 
• Provide voice therapy techniques to improve vocal function, reduce vocal strain, and enhance vocal projection and clarity.
• Assist clients who stutter or exhibit other fluency disorders in managing their speech fluency and rhythm. 
• Provide fluency shaping and stuttering modification techniques to improve speech fluency and reduce stuttering frequency and severity.
• Evaluate and treat swallowing disorders (dysphagia) in individuals with difficulty swallowing liquids, solids, or saliva. 
• Implement swallowing exercises, compensatory strategies, and dietary modifications to improve swallowing safety and efficiency.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including physicians, psychologists, educators, and other healthcare professionals, to coordinate care and support for clients with complex communication needs. 
• Provide education and training to clients, families, and caregivers on communication strategies, therapy techniques, and home exercises.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of assessment results, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge summaries. 
• Regularly monitor clients' progress towards treatment goals and modify interventions as needed to achieve optimal outcomes.
  Qualifications:
• Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders.
• Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), or eligibility for certification.
• State licensure or certification in Speech-Language Pathology.
• Clinical experience working with individuals with a variety of speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders.
• Knowledge of assessment tools, therapeutic techniques, and evidence-based practices in speech therapy.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and counseling skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Compassion, patience, and empathy for individuals with communication challenges.