The Framework to Becoming a Mindful Speech Clinician

You are in luck!  You do not need any prior experience in the area of mindfulness or meditation to take this course.  In fact, this is a great introductory course that guides you step-by-step to living a life with more presence, gratitude and well-being.  Already have experience with mindfulness and meditation? Awesome. This course is for you.  I go deeper into the foundations of Mindfulness and share with you simple and easy ways that you can integrate these principles into your career. Start where you are!

Yes!  I am all about learning strategies and tips to take into my practice the next day.  This course has an abundance of suggestions, therapy ideas, and activities that you can do on your own or with your clients to improve the quality of your practice. I hope they inspire you to take your career in speech path to the next level!

Mindfulness and meditation, for the purpose of this course, are not tied to any specific religion.  Rather, they are tools for all people from all walks of life to practice. Grab ahold of the principles and strategies that align best with you, leave behind the ones that don't!

The beauty of this course is that you can take it at your own pace.  One module will be dropped per month, with several lessons and PDF support documents for you to continue your practice.  Each module contains approximately 90 minutes of pre-recorded video.  You can take the principles of the lessons into your work day and begin to practice them immediately, without adding anything else to your to-do list.  You can embed these tips and tools right into your normal daily activities and therapy lessons. 

CEUs are available at this time for clinicians with a California SLP/SLPA License to practice. You are eligible for 0.6 CEU.  This course is eligible for Certificate Maintenance Hours.  CMH is 60 minutes spent in a professional development activity as a learner and participant. CMHs are accumulated through participation in non-ASHA CEU activities for the purpose of maintaining your CCC. Your hours will be self-reported. ASHA CEUs are not available at this time.  Complete the course by taking a survey to receive your certificate of completion.

Have you tried it following the framework of this course?  I provide step-by step details, no rock left unturned, to support you on your wellness journey. This course is not about just taking a deep breath or a hot bath to blow off some team.  It is an enriched course filled with tools to build self-awareness, increase resilience, and build stronger team connections by equipping clinicians with compassionate communication.  Mindfulness and meditation are not one in the same.  This course tends to clinicians with professional development to support their well-being, self-care, mental health, as well as seeks to improve their relationships and work environments. See for yourself if there are small nuggets that you can implement into your personal life or speech practice immediately.  Like all good things that are worth having, this is a skill that requires dedication, commitment and practice. But, you CAN do it! 

• A clinician who values compassionate communication when navigating challenging relationships 
• A clinician who values appreciation, honesty and generosity but you think you are undervalued, underappreciated, unheard and is losing sight of your motivation to work in this field
• A clinician who values self-growth and development and also wants to be of service in this world to others using evidence-based strategies and techniques
• An open-minded clinician who values continuing education and is intrigued by the benefits of mindfulness practice and how to apply the principles into your role as a clinician 
• A new or experienced clinician in the field who values wellness and work-life balance and is looking to establish healthy habits and mindsets now

...you are in the right place! You already have the degree, the expertise in the field, and the commitment.  Take it to the next level for yourself and for all of the lives you will affect.  “The Framework to Becoming a Mindful Speech Clinician” will give you the strategies, inspiration, confidence and unparalleled support on your journey to becoming a Mindful Speech Clinician.

The Framework to Becoming a Mindful Speech Clinician
(A $599 Value)

Four modules and more...

• Four recorded implementation modules  (90 minutes each) reveal EVERYTHING you need to transition from being an overwhelmed, overworked and exhausted MindFULL SLP/SLPA to a MindFUL one. Carry a toolbox filled with strategies to successfully create clear boundaries and better habits. Increase your clarity and confidence when advocating for your needs. Elevate your happiness, joy and gratitude in even the most challenging times.
• A step-by-step framework from a licensed and practicing SLP, trained and certified as a teacher of Mindfulness Meditation, showing you how to develop and implement science-backed principles of mindfulness into your personal life and your professional role.
• Strategies, worksheets, scripts, guides and more to start your mindfulness journey or to deepen your practice you have already established!

You will be given access to one module per week. Dive into the lessons and implement that portion of the total framework BEFORE moving on to the next. Complete this independent study course at your own pace!

To help you feel supported in your journey...

...you will receive:

• Access to our “Golden State of Mind Speech Clinicians” private Facebook group with fellow and alumni students, a space to overcome isolation and constantly refill your motivation and inspiration tank.  Connect with a licensed SLP with a teacher’s certification in Mindfulness Meditation, as well as other SLPs and SLPAs integrating Mindfulness into their speech careers.

Module 01

Building Our Mindfulness Speech Tool Box- You Got This! One Breath at a Time 

Here’s why it pays to learn from someone who’s gone before you --As a licensed SLP & a teacher of Mindfulness Meditation,  I know exactly where most clinicians get stuck in our career field.  More and more Speech- Language Pathologists and Assistants are experiencing increased stress, frustration, fatigue, isolation, and burnout due to rising caseload numbers, excessive meetings, unmanageable workloads & expectations, and conflict within teams; thus, many SLP/SLPAs are contemplating alternative careers.  They do not exactly prepare you for all of this in your schooling, do they?  So, that’s where I step in, sharing over 16 years of combined experience with you in Speech Pathology, Self-Development, and Mindfulness. 

In this module we are going to discuss simple, easy & effective strategies in assisting with managing your physical health & well-being, during challenges that arise, that will keep you moving forward in your career with grace, ease, happiness & joy. Mindfulness does not have to be a chore!  It’s much easier actually than the alternative.

We’ll start setting you up for success with an introduction to developing Mindfulness (paying attention in the moment) from a trained & certified Mindfulness teacher, with an end goal of helping you achieve TOTAL clarity about where you’re going in this field & how you’re going to get there in a way that is wise & compassionate.  You’ll be given a life long skill for decreasing stress & helping to support relationships with your team/families/clients/yourself. You’ll discover how mindfulness can increase your overall health & well-being, productivity, relationships with those around you, and your ability to learn and grow. And, who doesn’t want that?

In this module, you’re going to get on the fast-track to learning tips & tricks that were not given to us in our undergraduate or graduate schooling.  You’ll get the inside scoop on how to establish and practice mindfulness, from a licensed SLP, as well as how to introduce it into your observations, assessments and therapy time with clients. You can start where you are now with implementing this the very next day!

Finally, SLP/SLPAs will have a crystal clear picture of how simple mindfulness strategies and techniques/tools can be applied in the practice to successfully manage tasks and serve others with more presence, awareness & compassion in their professional roles. Map out your path to becoming a Mindful SLP/SLPA!

Highlights:

• Discover the essence and purpose of mindfulness and meditation and how it can be integrated into your role as the SLP/SLPA to reduce stress, increase mind body awareness, and elevate concentration, focus and clarity.
• Learn the science behind maintaining and continuing a regular mindfulness/meditation practice, and how to incorporate it in your SLP/SLPA work life by learning to use simple practical techniques.
• Understand and learn how to apply evidenced based mindfulness techniques (Mindfulness of Breath or Sound) to steady your attention and learn how to teach this skill to your patients/clients to improve client outcomes.
• Get informal and formal grounding exercises which help to release unwanted energy, sustain attention, improve sleep, and reduce stress.

Module 02

Building Our Mindfulness Speech Tool Box- With Our Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes! 

It’s the truth. Being an SLP/SLPA is both rewarding & hard work. In a fast- paced speech world where all things external can feel chaotic or out of control at times, we discover that we do have a choice in how we choose to show up!  In a career where things constantly change, workloads become unmanageable as demands increase, clinicians feel underappreciated with their energy sucked, and overwhelm sets in, we can be strategic in the tools we use to navigate such challenges.   We begin by showing you there is a science based tool that, when used consistently, can improve physical health and well-being, regulate emotions, and increase happiness. A tool that when used consistently, can help us create a space to access clarity and wisdom.

In this module, we begin by teaching you how to develop mindfulness of the body, a tool to help clinicians and their clients ground and center by connecting to the physical sensations of the body through strategies. We set you up for success by demonstrating this technique and showing you how it can be used on the job, anywhere or anytime & with anyone! 

We will map out the framework on how to simply connect to our inner worlds, which can allow us to refocus and center our attention on the here & now, increasing our capacity as clinicians to show up more fully and compassionately for our clients.  

Finally, you will learn & practice simple wellness tools (The Body Scan or Mindful Eating), that can be used on the go, to increase your physical and emotional well-being instead of letting the emotional toll and drain of your energy decrease your inspiration & motivation. 

Highlights:

• Get access to the simple principles and purpose of mindfulness of the body, and the science behind the importance of connecting to the physical sensations as an anchor to the present moment so that you can learn to increase your capacity as a clinician as well as your warmth and compassion with your clients and families, getting back to the heart of the SLP/SLPA role.
• Discover the concerns and consequences of being disconnected from the body in times of change and unease, and the toll that can take on your capacity as a clinician or a client.
• Learn simple evidenced based techniques (The Body Scan, Mindful Eating) that can be used on the job to ground yourself or to improve outcomes for the client/patient/family that you serve.
• Scoop up more informal and formal grounding exercises which help to release unwanted energy, sustain attention, improve sleep, and reduce stress.

Module 03

Building Our Mindfulness Speech Tool Box- Keep Calm & Speech On!

Being a clinician is both gratifying and overwhelming at times.  It’s no secret, especially if you’re a part of the many SLP/SLPA facebook groups, that clinicians report that our field can present incredible demands, increased caseloads, burn out, emotional tolls, depletion and reduced well-being.  

In this module, we will discuss how increased stress paired with negative attitudes can hinder the ability for a clinician to fully show up in their role as an SLP/SLPA.  

We’ll start by introducing how productivity, team collaboration, and client outcomes can improve when we learn simple strategies for effectively managing difficult emotions (getting this balance right is critical!) You will be “in the know” as you get first hand information about how to connect to the inner world of emotions, seeing how they can derail us from being fully present and available in our role as an SLP/SLPA.  

Finally, learn how to effectively manage difficult emotions with a simple evidenced based strategy (R.A.I.N.) to reduce negative outcomes while building more opportunities & communicative exchanges that incorporate thoughtful speech and wise action (it’s simpler than you think!)

Highlights:

• Learn to observe and name a variety of emotions that present themselves during difficult situations, further recognizing how these emotions can impact the way an SLP/SLPA shows up in their role (i.e., confidence), and learn to create space for clarity and wiser responses when advocating needs or setting clear boundaries.
• Learn simple strategies/techniques for allowing difficult emotions to be present, and how to work with these emotions to better respond to what is arising in the moment; thus, learning to improve team collaboration, productivity and client outcomes.
• Learn how to work with clients/families/caregivers that are experiencing difficult emotions using R.A.I.N and Growth Mindset Language; thus, increasing awareness of emotions and ways to handle them as well as having opportunities to build vocabulary and language development.
• Grab even more of the informal and formal grounding exercises which help to release unwanted energy, sustain attention, improve sleep, and reduce stress.

Module 04

Building Our Mindfulness Speech Tool Box- Narrative Language Danger Zone- S.T.O.P Collaborate and Listen

Joining the career field as an SLP/SLPA is inspiring & rewarding; however, it can also be mentally and emotionally exhausting.  A new or experienced clinician can get lost in a stream of endless thoughts, surrounding the demands of a single day, that can increase stress and interfere with the ability to be fully present with a task, communication partner or client. 

In this module, we’ll begin by decluttering thoughts through simple mindfulness strategies and techniques, so you can make space for more effective connection, care and support for the families/clients/team you serve. Through a holistic approach, learning to be more organized both internally & externally will help you to feel calmer and more clear.

We’ll set you up for a complete transformation as SLP/SLPAs learn the science behind stress and the body, how destructive thoughts can trigger stress, and how bringing awareness to thoughts by using simple evidenced based mindfulness strategies (S.T.O.P, Mindful Walking) can set you up for healthier interactions, decreased stress, and maximized therapy outcomes.   

Finally, SLP/SLPAs will have a crystal clear picture of how simple mindfulness of thought strategies and techniques/tools can be applied in the practice to successfully manage tasks and serve others with more presence & awareness in their professional roles. Learn how to introduce & teach these principles to your clients.

Highlights:

• Understand the impact stress has on the body as you balance the demands of a career in speech pathology, and how changing the way we relate to thoughts can decrease your amount of stress, impacting overall productivity or the openness to learn.  
• Understand how to bring awareness to and name thoughts that clutter the brain, affecting moods, actions, responses and overall well-being; and, how to disentangle and manage misguided thoughts to show up with more appreciation and clarity for the present moment.
• Learn simple evidenced based techniques (S.T.O.P, Mindful Walking) that can be used on the job to ground oneself or improve outcomes for the client/patient/family.
• Get another dose of the informal and formal grounding exercises for your speech toolbox which help to release unwanted energy, sustain attention, improve sleep, and reduce stress.