Speech and Language Therapy

I specialise in working with teenagers and adults who are experiencing communication changes resulting from an acquired brain injury (ABI).

'ABI' includes traumatic brain injury as well as neurological conditions such as stroke, brain tumours and encephalitis.

Communication difficulties caused by ABI include aphasia, dysarthria and cognitive-communication difficulties which can affect a person's understanding, talking, reading, writing, social skills and skills such as planning and organising, and problem solving. 

These can impact on a person's everyday life, including the activities they feel able to participate in, their friendships and relationships, their sense of self, how confident they feel, on their mood and on independence.

I believe in a person centred approach and working collaboratively with the individual and those people who are important to them, enabling them to feel more confident and knowledgeable about managing their condition and their communication changes. 

I offer 1:1 and group therapy sessions, in person and online.

What can you expect from therapy?

When we first meet, I prioritise getting to know you and what's important to you.

I will spend some time with you, and your family or friends, to identify and understand how your communication has changed and what your main concerns are.

I will work with you, and your support network, to identify meaningful goals for therapy and agreeing the way forward together. Therapy may also include working with your family and friends, or training and supporting your carers.

We will regularly review how you are feeling, encouraging you to reflect on your progress and identifying any new goals or changes to make to the therapy plan.

Therapy sessions can take place wherever feels right for you and the situation  - this might include at your home, college or work, out and about in the community, or online sessions, such as on Zoom. 
Group based sessions are also available to help support your goals.

Further information on therapy sessions

Our work together is likely to include: 

Initial consultation: an in-depth discussion with you and ideally your family/carers to hear your story, complete a communication screen/other assessment and explore your key concerns and priorities. This typically lasts 60-90 minutes. 

Assessment sessions: may include standardised assessments, rating scales, task based observations, use of audio/video recording, community-based visits. 

Goal setting: identifying and agreeing with you your key areas and goals for therapy. This will also help identify the best location for therapy sessions.  

Ongoing therapy sessions: may involve specific exercises and tasks, learning and practicing strategies, talking about your communication changes and understanding your brain injury, working with your family and friends, supporting your self-management, practicing real life activities. Location for each session may vary according to your goals. The number and frequency of sessions will be agreed with you.  

Review sessions: these will happen regularly with you to review your progress and goals, setting new goals where appropriate. 

Liaison with other professionals, analysing assessment results, preparing therapy resources, attending multidisciplinary meetings, writing reports: it may be necessary for me to carry out tasks outside of your therapy sessions. This will be agreed with you in advance. 

Group therapy sessions* - it may be helpful for you to join sessions with other people experiencing communication changes and to support your goals. A range of group packages are available and will be discussed and agreed with you.  

All the above will be charged at the hourly rate on a pro rata basis - so if a shorter session suits you better, I will only charge you for the time spent. 

*Costs for group therapy packages will be discussed separately. 

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