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- Help children and adults who have communication problems
- You'll need excellent communication and listening skills
- You could specialise in areas like helping children with special educational needs
As a speech & language therapist you'll work with children and adults who may have difficulties making themselves understood through speech problems, understanding and using language, a stammer or difficulties with feeding, chewing or swallowing. These challenges may be as a result of injury, stroke, cancer, Parkinson's disease, mental health problems or a learning difficulty.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Talk to clients
- Observe them and use tests to assess specific difficulties
- Plan and develop therapy programmes
- Support clients through treatment
- Work closely with colleagues like doctors and teachers
- Coach parents and carers to continue their therapy at home
- Keep detailed progress records
- Work with groups or individuals to improve the way they communicate
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll usually work in a hospital's therapy department, running a clinic and visiting patients on wards. You could also work in a health centre, day nursery or school or you may visit patients in their home.
You'll need
This role would be ideal for someone with excellent communication and listening skills, the ability to create positive working relationships with clients of all ages, creativity, to turn therapy into a game when working with children, and the ability to motivate and encourage clients to continue with treatment.
You'll need a degree in speech and language therapy that's approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
If you've got a degree in a science or language-based subject, you could do a 2 year fast-track postgraduate course in speech and language therapy.
You'll find it helpful to get some paid or voluntary experience in the health or care sector before you apply for a course.
You can also do a speech and language therapist degree apprenticeship.
You could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for further advice.
You'll also need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council.
For some roles you may need to visit clients in their homes, so you'll need a driving licence.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could specialise in areas like: helping children with special educational needs, helping eating, drinking and swallowing disorders (dysphagia). With further training, you could move into teaching and research. You could also become self-employed.