Midwife and Life – Why Speech-Language Pathologists Are a Key Part of Family Wellness Teams

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Speech pathologists enable people on their caseload to communicate more effectively. Not only does this allow them to navigate the world with greater success, but it also gives them a valuable outlet for articulating their thoughts and feelings.

What role does this play in family life? Well, you can probably guess that it plays a pretty important one. In this article, we take a look at why speech-language pathologists are important in the context of family care teams.

Communication

Communication is an important part of maintaining a healthy family dynamic. It’s also something that becomes very difficult for someone who is having a hard time expressing themselves through speech. It’s not only that the person with a speech impediment physically struggles to express themselves.

Mute people can live very productive and communicative lives. It’s also that they, statistically speaking, tend to feel uncomfortable trying to do so.

When you know that it’s going to take several long moments to get out a simple thought, you might naturally choose to stay quiet for most of the time. Indeed, this is the path that many with a speech impediment often settle on.

So, speech-language pathologists are able to come in and provide that person with the tools they need to communicate clearly with their family members. This can be extremely impactful in a common everyday sense. What do you want for dinner? Well, now the person suffering from the speech impediment can answer with confidence and authority.

But it also just changes the culture in a household. When everyone is communicating at a higher level, it opens the door for improved emotional awareness for all members of the family.

Improved Confidence

Improved confidence is experienced more by the individual being treated than it is by the entire family, but it’s a benefit that can spread throughout the household. As we mentioned earlier, it’s very typical for people experiencing a speech impediment to be shy and non-communicative.

This is often the result of both embarrassment and a lack of confidence. As the person receives treatment for their speech impediment, they will typically feel much more comfortable contributing to family or even social discussions. This is enormously beneficial for them.

Now, they are opening the door to deeper friendships and more intricate relationships. It’s also great for the family, who is benefiting from not exactly a new contributor, but from the contributions of someone who previously might not have had much to say.

Basic Health Benefits

While speech pathologists focus primarily on eliminating communication barriers, there are also health benefits that can be observed in certain circumstances. Speech-language pathologists often assist patients with difficulties swallowing. This condition is called dysphagia.

This again can have positive mental health benefits for the patient, but it also translates into a better existence overall. After all, who doesn’t appreciate the ability to swallow with ease? Here, the importance in the context of family life is simply that the pathologist is helping to keep everyone healthy.

Education

Speech language pathologists often also play the role of educators in family life. They will come in and show parents and siblings how to assist the person experiencing a speech disorder, both through support and at-home coaching. This not only leads to a more productive home environment for the person trying to overcome the speech impediment, but it also breeds greater levels of understanding.

Sometimes it can be hard for family members to fully understand what the person with a speech disorder is experiencing, particularly because said person might not be fully communicative. These services keep everyone on the same page.

Becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist.

If anything, these points should at least emphasize the importance of health education. They play a vital role in the overall healthcare landscape by strengthening family bonds and building confidence among their patients. They help make the world a better place, one session at a time.

Are you interested in becoming a speech-language pathologist? Most speech-language pathologists need a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from an accredited program, which includes both coursework and supervised clinical experience. After graduation, they must complete a clinical fellowship and pass a national examination to become licensed in their state.

It is difficult work, full of slow incremental progress, but it is highly impactful and certainly rewarding, both personally and financially. Pathologists can make six-figure salaries, particularly as they get further along in their careers. Interested in giving this extremely valuable career a try? Start reading up on the requirements in your state today.

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