The rediscovered value of frameworks

Over the course of my degree I can recall many a discussion between friends about the ‘abstractness’ of theoretical frameworks and whether, when qualified, we would ever really sit down and insert our thoughts and reasoning into a diagram full of haphazard blocks and arrows. Then as a newly qualified therapist, I did actually surprise … Read more

Supervision: An opportunity to explore the links between uncertainties, learning and safe practice

When training as a speech therapist (the title at that time), I loved my practice placements and when, in due course, I began my career, it was with youthful confidence and perhaps a little arrogance.  I might not have been paying attention, but I don’t recall supervision or reflective practice featuring in my university lectures … Read more

An experience with narrative therapy

Human’s are interpretative creatures which means as we move through our lives we create meaning. This steady accumulation of meaning, is articulated to us, the protagonists, in the form of stories. We have a host of stories about ourselves. A story about our relationships. A story about our work. A story about our time at … Read more

Are you getting enough (1)? Developing an understanding of supervision theories, models and practice

Anna and I went on intandem’s supervision course (Module 1) in June 2017. We both really enjoyed the course. The content was very relevant to us and we were all encouraged to participate throughout the day. The course was run for multidisciplinary therapists and this allowed for a great variety of experience and different views … Read more

Talking Mats in Practice

Following on from my last blog introducing my journey with Talking Mats (TMs), I have described below two examples of my use of TMs in practice. I specialise in working with people who have had sudden onset brain disorders, such as strokes, brain injuries and other progressive brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. … Read more

My Journey with Talking Mats

Talking Mats (TMs) I hear you say, is that a mat that talks?! And so begins my story of Talking Mats. Talking Mats is an evidence-based pictorial tool developed by Dr Joan Murphy in 1989. Since its creation, it is used in the UK and worldwide. What does Talking Mats do? It gives individuals with … Read more

Power, professionals, privilege and person-centredness…

As an allied health professional and educator in the health and social care sector, I interview a lot of would-be health and social care professionals. Almost without fail, these university applicants talk about caring and their desire to work with people, of communication skills and understanding. In due course the successful students study hard to … Read more

Living with a communication disability: insider accounts

‘Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced’ John Keats One of the greatest challenges in acquiring any new skill is taking the knowledge you have gained and applying it to the real world in a meaningful and positive way. Bridging the gap between theory and experience is something I, as a student speech and language … Read more

Living well with stuttering

To celebrate International Stuttering Awareness Day on Tuesday 22 October 2013, Selena Donaldson, speech and language therapist for The Fluency Network at The University of Auckland hosted an informative breakfast seminar. This seminar featured a pre-recorded question and answer session with Sam Simpson and Rachel Everard, two of the co-authors of ‘Stammering Therapy From the … Read more