Speech Language Pathology in Motion

I knew from a young age that I wanted to help people and to do something that makes a difference in the world. I always pictured myself working with children or animals, but there have been a few pivotal experiences in my life that inspired me to become a speech-language pathologist, to open Speech Language Pathology in Motion, and to grow it into the practice that it is today. 

A Step on the Path:

As a 10-year-old, my best friend asked me to join her in doing some volunteer work at a facility that taught horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities. I had never spent much time around horses or neurodivergent individuals before, but it sounded fun, so I signed up. My experiences there were life changing. I witnessed first-hand the incredible connection between people and animals and how horses can help people experience communication, connection, and joy - even if they don't speak. My time there led to me developing a life-long passion for helping others, particularly those with communication difficulties, and a love of horses and equestrian sports. When it was time to pick a career, I knew I wanted animals and therapy to be part of my path.

A Fork in the Road:

In 2007, toward the end of my graduate school coursework, I experienced a lesson that changed how I thought about therapy. While fellow students were sharing clinical experiences, a common theme began to emerge. Many of us spoke about witnessing frustrating and sometimes shocking issues during our clinical placements. We spoke about therapists forced to rush from class to class to collect students, leaving little time for treatment and burnt-out therapists inattentive to their clients, excluding them from learning, or simply “checking the boxes.” 

The professor responded to these experiences with a simple message: there is a lot of mediocrity in the world. People who used to be passionate get burnt out by systems that don’t support their clients or themselves, others do only the bare minimum - they check the boxes and settle for "good enough”. He told the class that his hope for us was that we would not be mediocre, that we would seek out greatness. It has been a message that has carried me through adulthood, not only in my professional life, but also in my personal life.

Forging My Path:

After becoming an SLP, I worked in a number of places, and while I absolutely loved helping children with speech and feeding difficulties, I was also frequently frustrated. I was frustrated by forcing children who needed to move and play to do therapy seated at a table in a tiny room, overwhelmed by the size of my caseload and productivity requirements, and exhausted by ineffective IEPs, and limits on treatment. I remember a constant feeling of wanting to do more for the children and families in my care. I remember feeling like I was being forced into being "good enough." Therapists deserve more, children deserve more, families deserve more. 

I began seeing clients privately after school hours and on the weekends at a horse farm. It was so refreshing to work directly with families, to hear their concerns and wishes, to show them what I was doing in therapy and how they could help at home. Private practice allowed me to provide the care that I knew would help the child and their family the most, without barriers. Getting individualized therapy, being outdoors, being able to move and play, and connecting with animals helped my clients to thrive. I knew that this was the direction I wanted my career to go. Four years later, I formed a partnership with Pal-O-Mine Equestrian and opened Speech Language Pathology in Motion.

Moving Towards a Better Future, Together 

In 2015, I left my school based position to make growing Speech in Motion my full time job. Since then, I have added 2 more therapists to our team who share in my vision and values. We have have helped hundreds of families on Long Island. I am so proud that Speech in Motion has grown to be a place where families can feel supported, and especially, where our clients can feel heard. Therapy should be more than just treatment of a symptom, a struggle, or a disorder. It needs to be respectful, holistic, informed, and empathetic.  We need to listen to and learn from neurodivergent individuals and their experiences in therapy so we can do better and be better. 

From volunteer work, to school, to my professional experiences, I have learned so much. I hope to always continue my learning. I believe we can do better than mediocrity; we can be great - as individuals, as families, and as a community. My hope is to continue to grow a practice and a community that shares in Speech Language Pathology in Motion's core values, mission, vision and philosophy, so we can help so many more families on their journey.