Introduction

I am in my first year of practice as an actual speech language pathologist and I am continually finding myself scratching my head and wondering how to approach treatment for my clients.  If you are at all familiar with my field, then you know that the hype over the past few years has been all about using evidence based practices.  Sadly, though, the evidence for most therapy practices is lacking, which leads to disagreements over efficacy and validity of various therapy methods.  As you can imagine, this is quite frustrating for those of us who are new to the field and trying to learn good versus bad therapy techniques.  There has been more than one occasion when I have felt the mission given to me as a speech language pathologist is an impossible one, particularly when it comes to knowing which strategy or method to use and how to best apply it.

In my frustration at the lack of evidence readily available and my eagerness to learn how to be a good clinician, I have decided that one way to help myself, and potentially others like me, is to explore the myriad of therapy techniques and models out there and then try them out.  This blog will be a review, of sorts, of the theory behind each method, the scientific evidence available, the anecdotal evidence available, and my own experience - when possible - with each one.  I am hoping to learn a lot through this process and maybe even provide a resource for other therapists.

Please feel free to post comments or suggestions on each post.  The feedback will provide added perspective as well as useful information.  I know what I am taking on here is a gigantic task, but it can't be anymore impossible than the one I have already been given.  Here's to a great adventure, and perhaps some answers, in speech language pathology!