Spirituality & The SLP ???

I believe that God put me on this path to become a speech and language pathologist. The Lord Jesus Christ, our savior, has provided every opportunity for me to attain this goal from affording me the opportunity to leave my old job and focus on school and raising my daughter for the past two years. I am thankful to him for guiding me on this path and while at times I was losing faith about this direction, he quickly reminded me that he is the reason I took on this new endeavor.

As much as I believe he is the reason I chose this path it is a gift I expect to have in helping people communicate. Part of my gift is in accepting people for who they are and not judging them. This means to me that I will not discuss religion unless the topic is brought up by the patient. I will respect those religions and cultural practices different than my own. I will not judge them and I will do my best to know who my clients are. I will ask about their priorities, goals, and expected outcomes from the therapy. I will make attempts in understanding cultural beliefs and practices different than that of my own.

As part of another course I am taking I recently read about the topic of death in the practice of speech and language pathology. This may be the most difficult topic in my opinion that I could face. It is also inevitable. What I learned and hope to apply in the topic of religion, death, or any other sensitive area is to listen. By listening I can open my mind to how to help my clients and their families achieve their goals and expectations and to focus on their strengths and positive attributes.

In other words I have full intention of not bringing up topics but allowing my clients to guide the conversation to some extreme. I will not agree or disagree but instead respect the opinion/statements of my clients. I will provide references or support group information and explain that some personal matters can best be addressed by some in similar situations.

I Graduated! So Now What?!

I am two weeks shy of finalizing my degree! I participated in my graduation ceremony last week and wearing that Master of Science cap and gown motivated me! For me that symbol made it all a reality. All the hard work and three years of dedication is coming to fruition. I look forward to this new endeavor. I began to interview last week and was offered a job at each opportunity. This proves to me that the hard work and effort I put into this career and taking on the bilingual extension simultaneously is paying off. I will be providing early intervention to children between 0-3 years of age, and mostly in Spanish or bilingual English/Spanish. I am also anticipating working in a school beginning in September 2013. In January I will commence taking the education courses to complete the necessary requirements as required by the Department of Education.

It is odd to say but I feel I know so much more than two weeks ago. Becoming an SLP is not an easy task. So much paperwork, from state license application to ASHA application and CFY requirements, achieving this feat can be stressful. Many test, dates, and courses I have yet to take and I know I will pass and meet each goal. I cannot wait to start working with the babies/toddlers, meet families, and put my education to the test.

I was happy to hear from family and friends how I have motivated them to reach for higher goals through my achievements. If they only knew I am far from my ultimate goal which is to attain a doctoral degree in this field and eventually open my own practice. I also long to teach and supervise up and coming SLPs. I want to push and motivate students the way I have been motivated. I have never known myself to be such a big dreamer and now I feel the blood pulsing in my veins when I imagine this goal. Here is to the future!