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By Nsim Team
If you have excellent communication and listening skills and enjoy helping others, consider training to become a speech and language therapist
As a speech and language therapist (SLT), you'll treat babies, children and adults who have various levels of speech, language and communication problems, or difficulties in swallowing, drinking or eating.
You could deal with a diverse client group, including people with physical and learning disabilities, hearing loss/deafness, psychiatric disorders or dementia, and could treat a range of conditions, including cleft palate, stammering, language delay and voice disorders.
You'll usually work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside other health professionals, and will often liaise with family, carers or teachers when developing treatment plans.
WHO IS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST?
Speech and language therapists diagnose and treat people of all ages with speech, language and communication difficulties. Working with other professionals in multidisciplinary teams, the therapist works closely with patients and their families to establish a treatment programme to help each patient communicate as effectively as possible. Speech and language therapists work with a variety of people – from young children, perhaps with difficulties such as stammering, to older people recovering from strokes and other brain injuries.
They assess, diagnose and treat clients for a variety of disorders including:
• Childhood speech and language disorders
• Stammers
• Acquired speech and language disorders (such as from brain injury or disease)
• Voice disorders
• Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
Speech and Language Therapists also work with clients who cannot communicate through normal means to develop alternative forms of communication, or use specialised computer devices. They work and liaise with parents, carers and other professionals, such as teachers, nurses, occupational therapists and doctors.
WHAT IS THE ELIGIBILITY OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST?
The standard level of education for speech-language therapist is a master’s degree. Although master’s programs do not specify a particular undergraduate degree for admission, certain courses must be taken before entering the program. Required courses vary by institution. Graduate programs often include courses in age-specific speech disorders, alternative communication methods, and swallowing disorders. These programs also include supervised clinical practice in addition to coursework.
If you've got a degree in a relevant subject such as psychology, social sciences, linguistics or a medical science you can take an accelerated two-year postgraduate course in order to qualify. Undergraduate degree courses typically last three or four years full time and cover both theory and clinical practice. Clinical practice takes place in hospitals, schools, clinics and day centres under the supervision of qualified therapists. Applications for postgraduate study are made directly to the relevant institution.
SKILLS NEEDED TO BECOME SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
You will need to have:
• excellent communication and listening skills - to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds and to motivate clients and gain trust. Clients may be uncooperative because they're frightened, frustrated or disorientated by their situation;
• patience - progress may be slow, involving repetitive exercises to aid clients who have problems memorising, processing and retaining information;
• creativity and problem-solving skills - to design programmes appropriate to different learning styles and communication issues;
• the ability to work in a team - for interacting with other professionals;
• organisational skills and flexibility - to deal with a range of clients in varied settings;
• the ability to be at ease in a clinical environment;
• qualities such as empathy, assertiveness, tact, a sense of humour and physical and mental stamina.
• Confidence to relate to a wide range of people and enjoy working with people of all ages.
• Capacity to listen carefully combined with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to make your own decisions as well as work in co-operation with others.
• Empathy, patience and excellent motivational skills.
• Responsible, professional approach, respecting client confidentiality.
CAREER PATH AND PROGRESSION
With experience, you could specialise in areas like:
• helping children with special educational needs
• helping eating, drinking and swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
With further training, you could move into teaching and research. You could also become self-employed.
WHO HIRES SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST?
Typical employers include
• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Rehabilitation centres
• Private practices
• Community services
• Disability services
• Voluntary organisations
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