It’s hard enough to deal with the idea that you are having increased difficulty communicating, but now you have the added stress a finding a therapist who can provide you with the very best treatment to ensure your rehabilitation is effective and efficient and provides you or your loved one the motivation needed to keep going when the going gets tough. Choosing the right therapist can help you begin to regain your confidence and get you back on the road to recovery. So what should you be looking for in a therapist?
Personal Attributes
You may think that the most important thing to consider when looking for a therapist is education or experience, but a third party interview of previous speech therapy patients reveal that the most widely desired attribute for the “right” therapist is someone whom they make a personal connection with. This makes sense when you consider that if a patient does not have a connection with the therapist, then they will likely not care about what the therapists knows or has to say. This can make therapy sessions challenging and will often result in patients stopping treatment before they have reached their max potential. Speaking with your therapist before having a session can help to establish a rapport and determine if there is a personality fit. A good therapist will listen. They will take the time to meet with the patient, hear their story and their concerns and take the time to discover what is important to the patient. Ultimately, the therapist is going to become a part of your future and will be of critical importance as to the success of your treatments, so you are looking for the therapist that can motivate you to do your very best.
In addition to someone who listens, probably the second most importnat characterisitic or your clinician is someone who is flexible. Since every client is different, it is critical that the therapist is able to modify their approach to the situation and adjust the content and timing of the therapy to meet the needs of the client and get the most out of the session. This means that sometimes instead of being in complete control of the session, they learn how to manage the situation to allow the client to feel in control and strive to accomplish the goals of the clients and their preferences, which will keep the session interesting and the client engaged, particularly for those clients who have difficulty with structured tasks.
There is no “one size fits all”, so the ability to adapt is crucial. An effective therapist will lead by example and show the client what is expected, in order to achieve client satisfaction and reduce the risk of the client feeling like they are being ordered around.
Taking risks and encouraging clients by nurturing their successes and mitigating their failures can make a big difference in the outcome of the therapy intervention, and you want a therapists who is mindful of that at all times.
Credentials and References
To start, one should ensure that the therapist you are considering has completed all requirements for their state licensure, including receiving a Master’s Degree from an accredited program and completion of other Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which vary by state. It is also a good idea to choose a therapist who is credentialed with their respective national boards to ensure they are actively involved in their professional communities and stay abreast of all the current developments in their fields. Each of the therapy disciplines have both state and nationally recognized professional boards that offers certification in their respective fields, including the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). Providers with this certification often use their credentials in their signatures and can be found on the website’s national directory list.
The best place to begin your search for a therapist is to ask for a referral from your current medical providers. Your primary care physician may be able to suggest a therapist they have previously worked with and can give you a recommendation for what specialty your therapist should have. You may also want to ask friends and neighbors, who may have experienced something similar, if they have any recommendations. If you have no referral sources, then look at Google or Yelp for reviews online or search through the national certification’s provider database for someone in your area who specializes in the field you are looking for.
Experience and Specialty
In general, a therapist with more experience is typically better than a new graduate. You will likely want to find someone who has worked with large numbers of people who have similar deficits to the ones you are targeting. When talking to a therapist you may want to ask questions like how often they attend seminars or continuing education classes, and what areas they specialize in or have certifications in. Obviously, the more training your therapist has, the better. Having more experience and training will result in your therapist having a variety of strategies to address the deficits, as not all patients respond in the same way. Ask the clinician questions about the types of tools they use, the specialties they have and their comfort level with persons with the deficits and diagnoses involved.
A good therapist will know what types of approaches will work best for you or your loved one and be able to provide you with a rationale as to why they choose to use the approaches they suggest.
The bottom line is that the therapist should appear to know what they are talking about and leave you feeling completely comfortable in your choice to make them your clinician.
Just like doctors and lawyers have subspecialties and refined skillsets, so do clinicians. The job of an occupational or speech therapist is to help others overcome their difficulties using the latest developments and research to provide evidenced based care to better serve their clients. With this comes professionals who choose to hone their abilities in more specific problems, and ensure you or your loved one receive the best care possible. It’s important to partner with a provider who is adept at helping people overcome their specific issue! Remember that a clinician who typically works with children is not likely to have the same style as someone who typically works with adults. They come with a completely different toolbox and approach to treatment. In this case, AGE MATTERS! It only makes sense to find a professional who already has a proven track record in the age bracket you are seeking.
Practice Considerations
Any good clinician realizes that the time spent in sessions is limited and the need to involve the caregivers in the client’s recovery is essential. Education and teaching should be a part of the therapy intervention plan to not only speed up the rate of recovery, but also to ensure that there is carryover of the techniques and strategies needed to maintain the functional gains made and continue the progress even after the sessions have ended. The right therapist is respectful of the home dynamic and will include the caregivers as a part of the decision -making process to ensure the needs of all parties are considered in developing the plan of care.
If the practice or clinician does not understand the importance of having caregiver participation, then chances are, it is not the right provider for you.
You may also ask the question if the size of the organization really matters when it comes to choosing a provider. On one hand, a larger practice can mean more options, such as the option to change therapists if you do not like the services being provided or having someone to cover should your therapist be out on vacation or sick. While this is mostly a benefit, you may find that your provider is switched more frequently than if you were in a smaller practice or sole provider clinic, as there tends to be more turnover in a larger practice setting. In this case, continuity of care can be challenging and a new therapist may not know the nuances of how to best serve the client with the need to start a square one every time there is a provider change. You may also find that it is more difficult to get personalized attention and they follow a more corporate structure in larger clinics resulting in higher fees and a lack of control over individual office challenges. On the flip side, a small practice or individual provider will often offer you the opportunity to make a more personalized connection to your therapist and keep your health information more private, according to HIPAA regulations, as there are not as many people with access to your personal health information. Although, these small clinics and sole proprietors do have some advantages, it also stands that there are typically less resources available to smaller practices and schedules may be disrupted a few times per year to allow for your clinician to take vacations or sick days as they arise. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide what is important to you and choose the practice you feel best suits your needs.
There are many things to consider when looking for the right therapist for you or your loved one, and choosing your therapist can be an emotionally and physically draining scenario when added to the stress that already exists with dealing with a new diagnosis. Asking questions and making some preliminary contact can be the difference between having good results and having great results, so don’t be afraid to be bold. In the end, it will all be worth it!
The information you need . . . Straight Up!
*AOTA is the American Occupational Therapy Association that credential occupational therapists. They can be reached at 1.301.652.6611.
*ASHA is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association that credentials audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language and hearing scientists. They can be reached at 1.800.638.8255.