SLP Coffee Talk

Are you interested in learning more about stuttering?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Daniele Rossi to talk about his struggle with stuttering throughout his life and how he has taken his stutter and turned it into an opportunity to help stuttering children gain confidence and feel proud of themselves, stutter and all. Drawing comic strips and stuttering since he was four year...

Were you feeling a little burned out this school year?  I don’t know about you, but I sure was! I saw all of the signs in myself and in other SLPs I know. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Kenzie Thomas to talk all about SLP burnout and how we can beat it and find joy in our profession again.  Kenzie has become passionate about supporting fellow SLPs in beating burnout and findin...

Wondering how you can get parents more involved in their student’s progress? In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Dr. Brandi Tanner to find out how we as SLPs can promote more meaningful participation from our speech students’ parents.  Dr. Brandi Tanner is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and former special educator who founded Your IEP Source as a way to demystify the co...

Let’s talk about Juneteenth.  This episode of SLP Coffee Talk is airing on Juneteenth, so I thought it was appropriate to have a conversation about what Juneteenth is for those who might not be as familiar with it and some things that I've learned, along with ways to incorporate it into your speech practice.  Topics covered in this episode include: The cultural significance of Juneteenth Why...

Ready to get organized and save some time?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Mia McDaniel to talk all about organization, caseload management, and  time-saving tips! If you’re looking for ways to improve in these areas, you’re going to love this episode.  Mia McDaniel is a proud and passionate Speech-Language Pathologist. She was a school SLP for 24 years, and now she is working...

Wondering how you can find the right CFY for you?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Daj Mitchell to talk about how you can find the perfect CFY for you. Daj learned a lot on her journey to finding the right CF for her, and she’s sharing her tips for interviewing, questions to ask, and other things to consider so you can have the best CFY possible! Daj’za (Daj) Mitchell graduated...

Are you curious about animal-assisted therapy?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Laura Kruger to talk about how she incorporates her adorable dog, Blaze, into her speech therapy sessions. Laura’s students love working with Blaze while in speech therapy and she’s sharing all of the details of how it works with us today.  Laura Kruger has been practicing as an SLP for 9 years. She...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with yet another Orton-Gillingham expert, Elizabeth Doherty to talk about all things literacy and language and how we can apply Orton-Gillingham strategies and techniques into our speech therapy sessions.  Elizabeth's expertise lies at the intersection of language & learning. As a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and Teacher with a decade...

What exactly is the role of decodable text in literacy acquisition? In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with the fabulous Jennie Roberts Creason from Carolina Orton-Gillingham to explore this topic. Teaching reading to students is not as simple as it sounds, and Orton-Gillingham may be the perfect approach to help your students reach their goals.  With over 16 years of educational exper...

Ready to learn how to make a more inclusive classroom culture?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m talking all about AAC immersion in the classroom. I sat down with Janna Bedoyan and Morgan van Diepen to talk about why AACs need to be in the classrooms and how we as SLPs can collaborate with other professionals and make it happen.  Topics covered in this episode include: Overcoming barriers t...

Wondering how you can help your students figure out words they don’t understand?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m sharing three online tools that you can use as online dictionaries to help your students when they come across those new vocabulary words that they don’t quite understand. Learning new words can be fun for students when they use these tools!  Topics covered in this episode incl...

Are you in survival mode right now?  It’s the final stretch before we make it to the end of the year, and if you’re looking for some quick, low-prep therapy ideas for spring, then this episode of SLP Coffee Talk is for you! I’m sharing five free spring therapy ideas that can probably cover you for the next few weeks.  Topics covered in this episode include: A great resource on Colossal Questions ...

Looking for a strategy to help your speech students have a better understanding of what they’re reading and have a better recall?  I have you covered in this episode of SLP Coffee Talk! I’m diving into my favorite strategy for helping students develop a deeper understanding during speech sessions using note-taking! I’m going deep into different ways you can teach note-taking along with why it work...

Wondering how to keep your older speech students motivated?  At my latest speech retreat, we heard from a panel of SLP Elevate members who shared how they use the resources they got from the membership in their therapy sessions. They shared how it has simplified their planning with older students and made their lives so much easier. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m sharing what they had to...

Are you feeling overwhelmed and overworked?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Jamie Sears from Not So Wimpy Teacher to talk about real strategies for working less. Jamie isn’t an SLP, but she has some tips that we SLPs could definitely benefit from!  Jamie has the honor of serving hundreds of thousands of teachers around the world by providing easy-to-use, hands-on resources, an...

What is the role of an SLP when it comes to dyslexia?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with two rock star SLPs, Karina and Heather from @SoarWithWords, to talk about all things dyslexia and how we as SLPs can best support our students that struggle with it and help them reach their goals. Heather is a certified speech language pathologist and owner of HBC Language and Literacy. Kari...

What do successful readers do naturally?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with none other than my very own daughter, Ella, to talk about some things that successful readers do. She’s given me a lot of insight into what our students are picking up naturally in the classroom, and she’s here to share some tips that we can all apply to our therapy sessions!  Topics covered in this episo...

As SLPs, we all know that writing IEPs can be a challenge.  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Jennifer Hofferber to talk all about IEPs and get her best time-saving tips and meeting must-haves that will make your life a whole lot easier.  Jennifer Hofferber is a special education teacher with a passion for supporting struggling special educators.  She supports them through her po...

Do you feel confident going into your mixed groups?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m sharing a clip from a free training I did all about mixed groups and tackling them with confidence. I shared my top tips and strategies for planning them and feeling ready to take them on.  Topics covered in this episode include: Why you shouldn’t overthink your mixed groups Tips for implementing a good be...

Do you have students that just don’t want to write?  You’re not alone! In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, we are diving into how we can help reluctant writers and the things we can do to encourage them to reach their writing goals. I sat down with Megan Polk, a literacy specialist, to get her top advice for SLPs.  Megan Polk is a literacy specialist living in Nashville, Tennessee and the content...

Ready to learn more about AAC?  People can be very intimidated by AAC and this is something I get a lot of questions about from other SLPs. I decided to bring an expert on the topic onto the show to talk about all things AAC so that you can become the best SLP you can be.  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Laura Hayes to dive into this topic so we can learn more about AAC, who ne...

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m sharing some low-prep therapy ideas that you can use with your older speech students with a Valentine’s Day theme.  Often we think that this holiday might be more fitting for your younger students with some basic activities that focus on love words and red things. But we can totally incorporate the theme with our older spe...

Are you ready to be a leader?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with a returning guest, Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan to talk about how she helps SLPs step into the leadership role so that they can give their students the kind of help that they need.  Dr. Karen is the founder and CEO of Dr. Karen, LLC, a company focused on helping K-12 therapists (SLPs, psychologists, social workers, and o...

Do you ever just wing it?  In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I’m sharing a different type of episode. I’m diving into the topic of winging it and giving you permission to throw something together last minute if your lessons don’t go according to plan or even if you just change your mind.  As SLPs, we are busy. We have so much on our plate. There are evaluations to write up, students to gather up...

Are you wondering how you can help the parents of your students become better advocates for their children?  Sometimes it comes down to making sure they understand what to ask. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with a fellow SLP and the March 2023 Speech Retreat speaker, Dr. Tinita Kearney! She’s here to talk about topics like empowering parents, educating colleagues, and her new book...