Need some encouragement!

[SLPhopefullyy]

I am starting an internship program soon that prepares me to be an SLPA. It’ll be my first time doing real hands on work within the field. I will be doing it at a pediatric therapy clinic and while I’m excited, I am also very nervous as I know I will be planning sessions, writing SOAP notes, collecting data, etc. It’ll be my first time working with clients and I’m worried I won’t know what the heck I’m doing. I’ve never planned therapy before or managed a caseload and every child is so different. Any tips would be much appreciated! 

Edited November 4, 2018 by SLPhopefullyy

[JennWilhelm]

You can totally do this, if I can you can!

[bibliophile222]

If it makes you feel better, I'm not sure how much treatment planning you'll actually be doing, since that's supposed to be done by a certified SLP. Then again, I've never been an SLP-A, so I can't say for sure, but I don't think you'll be expected to do everything an SLP would do. 

Good luck! Interacting with clients is scary at first, but the anticipation is so much worse than the reality!

[Ggslpa]

12 hours ago, SLPhopefullyy said:

I am starting an internship program soon that prepares me to be an SLPA. It’ll be my first time doing real hands on work within the field. I will be doing it at a pediatric therapy clinic and while I’m excited, I am also very nervous as I know I will be planning sessions, writing SOAP notes, collecting data, etc. It’ll be my first time working with clients and I’m worried I won’t know what the heck I’m doing. I’ve never planned therapy before or managed a caseload and every child is so different. Any tips would be much appreciated! 

Hello,

I worked in a clinic for brief time but now I currently work in a school district as an SLP assistant. First couple of sessions are always nerve racking. Hopefully, you have some experience with kids. That always helps. Anyways, as for planning therapy. My suggestion would be to review all the goals of the kids you will be seeing before hand and pick out a couple of games or activities that target multiple goals. Depending on how long you have the kids and their age range you might need 1 or 2 activities prepared. There are lots of activities that you can target multiple goals with so that you don't have to have 8 activities for 8 different clients.  If your clinic has supplies, definitely take the time to look through everything. There's no need to re invent the wheel every time you do therapy.  Anyways, hope this helps! Message me if you want any specific ideas or tips. Good Luck! You can do it!

[JennWilhelm]

My supervisor and I collaborate on session plans. I prepare my own, but she reviews them. We have to make sure we are targeting the objectives the correct number of times, we share the caseload. For instance "over 3 sessions" is a phrase you might see in some iep goals.

[smileyslp]

This is so exciting! Congratulations on this next step. My advice would be to write down any sort of questions you have prior to your first day so you can ask your supervisor ahead of time (or along the way). Maybe you can print out some example SOAP notes, etc., and have them on hand just as a reference until you feel comfortable. Also, you could spend some time watching videos on Master Clinician to come up with different ideas or help ease your nerves. I love the variety of videos they have on there! You could also create a Pinterest board and collect a bunch of activities other SLPs have shared.. even if you don't use those ideas anytime soon, it might provide some peace of mind to have them on hand.

You got this!!

[bibliophile222]

1 hour ago, smileyslp said:

This is so exciting! Congratulations on this next step. My advice would be to write down any sort of questions you have prior to your first day so you can ask your supervisor ahead of time (or along the way). Maybe you can print out some example SOAP notes, etc., and have them on hand just as a reference until you feel comfortable. Also, you could spend some time watching videos on Master Clinician to come up with different ideas or help ease your nerves. I love the variety of videos they have on there! You could also create a Pinterest board and collect a bunch of activities other SLPs have shared.. even if you don't use those ideas anytime soon, it might provide some peace of mind to have them on hand.

You got this!!

Yes, Master Clinician is great! You do have to pay for it, but it's only 35 bucks a year, so it's a good investment.