Speak Up

In this week’s summer listening series, SPA Early Career Reference Group member, Brit Fong, reflects on vocal health and how speech pathologists can support those who use their voice professionally. In the episode Anneke Flinn chats to Eliza Galvin and Louise Philpott, Senior Speech Pathologists, about their role supporting auctioneers attending the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Associa...

In this week’s episode, we rebroadcast a conversation between SPA Early Career Reference Group member, Holly McAlister, and mental health occupational therapist, Michelle Bihary, about developing skills and capabilities that support us to have courageous conversations. They discuss what early career and experienced professionals bring to the table, self-care, reasonable expectations, principles of...

In this week’s summer listening series we are rebroadcasting an episode from 2023 about twice-exceptional learners. Rebecca McKeon speaks with Anneke Flinn about Twice-exceptional, or 2e children, and shares ideas and resources for identifying strengths and needs, and supporting children who experience both giftedness and a learning difference. Resources: Gagnés Model of Differentiating Giftedness...

This week on the Summer Listening Series Bea Staley from the Speak Up podcast reference group reflects on a 2023 episode about making professional new years resolutions. We hear from two speech pathologists who have had major changes in 2023. Kim took the leap and started her own business, and Jen is just finishing her first year as a graduate speech pathologist. Some of the themes that came up in...

In this second episode of the 2025-2026 Summer Listening Series, Alice Pumfrey from the SPA 2025 conference support fund has selected rethinking functional neurological disorders. We start the episode with a reflection from Alice and go on to hear Matthew Ernst, Speech Pathologist and Regional Manager at Better Rehab in Queensland, speak with Dr. Cath Gregory, Speech Pathologist and lecturer, from...

Welcome back to the second season of the Summer Listening Series for 2025-2026! In this first episode Caitlyn Weber from the mental health and trauma working group reflects on a 2022 episode about adverse childhood experiences or ACEs. In this episode, SPA’s Senior Advisor – Mental Health and Trauma, Laura Caire, speaks with Sarah Verdon, Associate Professor in Speech and Language at Charles Sturt...

In this week’s episode, we talk about communication access when someone is critically unwell. We are joined by speech pathologist Associate Professor Amy Freeman-Sanderson who is a project lead on priority setting for communication and swallowing difficulty in critical illness, and Adam Smith who is a patient and carer representative on this steering group. Adam speaks about his lived experience a...

In this week’s episode, we discuss paediatric feeding and Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID. We are joined by a multi-disciplinary panel to discuss collaborative supports. Psychologist Dr Katherine Bartlett, dietitian Rachel Tutill, and speech pathologist Val Gent discuss recent research about paediatric feeding needs including ARFID, as well as supports, and resources for clin...

With Board nominations opening on 28 November, in this week’s episode SPA President, Kathryn McKinley, is interviewed by Early Career Reference Group member, Sarah Cathro. They discuss governance, service, how the Board provides leadership, and how speech pathologists at every career stage can contribute to the profession. SPA resources: • Nominations for the SPA Board open 28 November. www.speech...

This week we are rebroadcasting an episode on cultural safety with some suggested resources by way of introducing the episode. We speak with Mitch Walley from Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, and Dr Natalie Ciccone from ECU about a telehealth service for Aboriginal people living with acquired brain injury (ABI). They discuss steps for making the service culturally secure, and the important role of...

In this week’s episode, SPA Early Career Reference Group member, Georgia Poupoulis, and Nathan Cornish-Raley speak with Chris Antartis of Rebel Recruitment and Polly McCarthy from Village Therapy. They discuss how new grads and experienced speech pathologists can find the right job for their circumstances and career path, and how employers can sustainably offer the supports candidates are looking...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Jess Francis from the Training Club about digital health tools and resources to support speech pathologists in providing effective and efficient services. Jess speaks about the opportunities that digital health tools, including AI can provide allied health practitioners, acknowledges reservations that some people may hold, including when the TGA may become inv...

In this week’s episode, Dr Jacqueline Lim discusses Dynamic Systems Theory as a way to understand Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and inform the supports we provide. She discusses the range of factors that influence motor learning, variability in speech sounds, and considerations for assessment and treatment. Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and wa...

In this week’s episode, we discuss values in the context of leadership to celebrate global ethics day, 2025. We are joined by Associate Professor Belinda Kenny, Chair Ethics Board, as well as Kelly and Trish from SPA’s National Office who regularly engage with members about ethical conduct and practice. Belinda, Kelly and Trish discuss reflective practice and the benefits to your work that come fr...

From time to time Speak Up will rebroadcast previous episodes to offer timely insights. This week, ahead of World Mental Health Day on Friday 10 October 2025, we are re-broadcasting our conversation with Kerry Holland and Jessica Carpenter from Peninsula Speech Plus. Laura Caire, SPA’s Senior Advisor Mental Health and Trauma, speaks with Jess and Kerry about recognising when someone we support mig...

In this week’s episode, we start a conversation about Foundational Supports with Dr Erin West from SPA’s Policy and Advocacy team. Erin will discuss a conceptual model that SPA are using to advocate to ensure that Foundational Supports reflect the need of the children and families speech pathologists support, and that speech pathologists working across all contexts are reflected in the model. As a...

In this week’s episode dual-qualified speech pathologist and clinical psychologist, Natalie Manley, speaks about supporting children with co-occurring Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She discusses cognitive and linguistic characteristics of these kids, and strengths-based approaches to motivation and engagement, and behavioural, emotional,...

In this week’s episode, Cyndal Nelson (they/them) of the Queer Speech Collective speaks with Lauren Haskins (she/her) about her practice’s efforts to create a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ individuals through the Pride in Health and Wellbeing program. Lauren then speaks with Tyler Chapman (he/him) about his perspectives on allyship as a final year student and member of the LGBTQIA+ communi...

In this week’s episode, Asta Fung discusses her soon to be completed PhD research about applying our skills to breathing interventions to offer relief to people experiencing chronic pain. Asta discusses how she became interested in breathing interventions and recognised the skills speech pathologists can bring to this area of emerging speech pathology practices. Resources: Fung, Asta and Duncanson...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Associate Professor Anna Miles and Adjunct Associate Professor Jan Baker about functional dysphagia. Jan and Anna talk about the research from FND that they have drawn on to create a biopsychosocial framework for supporting people with functional dysphagia. Resources:  Read Anna and Jan’s article here: Miles, A., Baker, J., Barker-Collo, S., & Leadley, S. (202...

In this Speech Pathology Week episode, Dr Debbie Pu from Monash University discusses how we can have “Impact through communication” about dysphagia awareness. She discusses what different stakeholders understand about swallowing difficulties, how public awareness can support people living with dysphagia to enjoy safe meals, and how speech pathologists can communicate with impact about this issue....

From time to time Speak Up will rebroadcast previous episodes and invite speech pathologists to offer their reflections on the episode. This week Rebecca O’Neill (she/her), a Conference Support Fund Awardee reflects on her learning from Rebecca Reinking (she/her), both in this episode and at her conference presentation. Rebecca Reinking is a paediatric Speech Pathologist from ATUNE Health Centres...

In this week’s episode we speak with Dr David Lacey, CEO of IDCARE about cybersecurity for practices offering speech pathology and other allied health services. We discuss how threat actors gain access to data, how to manage data breaches, and steps that workplaces can take to prevent them. Resources: IDCARE – Services for small businesses: https://www.idcare.org/smallbusiness OAIC – Notifiable da...

This week’s episode is a panel from the SPA 2025 Conference about bias within the profession. Dr Vishnu Nair, Professor Betty Yu and Associate Professor Sarah Verdon discuss the history of our field’s alignment with medical approaches, and the subsequent bias particularly in relation to race, disability, and the intersection of disparities, with a particular focus on neurodiversity. This conversat...

In this week’s episode, Dr Lillian Krikheli and Dr Sarah El Wahsh speak about all things voice banking. Sarah and Lillian discuss how to raise the topic of voice preservation, how to support your service user to select the best software for their needs, and what changes AI has facilitated in voice banking. Much of the content discussed in this podcast is informed by both clinical practice and co-d...