The Heart of an SLP

So I have been really surprised by how well-received my "Brain of an SLP" has been since I posted it on my blog months ago.  It was recently featured on PediaStaff as well, and I am again, so flattered.

After I started to see how much people liked the graphic, I decided to follow my husband's idea for creating a graphic for the heart of an SLP.

Let me back up a second---  before I went in to this field, I spent seventeen years as a school counselor.  It was a very stressful time because I had this advanced graduate degree and wanted to help children who were hurting, but unfortunately, most people in education wanted me to do testing and classroom guidance and were oblivious to the fact that I was a trained mental health professional (and had a brain and could do so much more).  I was lucky that I was in a school where the principal let me create a school counseling program based on student needs and my training, and therefore, I was able to run twenty small groups a week for children with social skill deficits, anger issues, behavioral concerns, self-esteem needs, dealing with divorce and loss, etc.  However, it was still a constant battle to be seen as a professional who could handle all types of emotional, social, and behavioral issues.   Early in my career I became very close friends with the school SLP, and after we ate lunch most days, I would go back to my office thinking about how speech language pathology was just a better fit for me-  I could still help children, but also be creative and expand my professional knowledge base every day.  It seemed like the perfect way to use my brains to follow what my heart told me was my calling.

So I went back to school and got another Master degree.  But I found that what I got when I went back was so much more.  There is something really special about SLPs.  I haven't met one yet who wasn't incredibly smart, inventive, creative, or generous.  I spent more time reading Speech Room News my last two years of graduate school then some of my college textbooks!  I just couldn't believe how many wonderful blogs were out there with such inspirational people in our field.  It makes me so proud of what we do and who we are.

So, back on track, I just wanted to share this new graphic about the heart of an SLP.  I hope it makes you smile the way I smile when I think of what we do and how we help others. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9fXi0D7J3y4SW96YTRqQmt3OXM/edit?usp=sharing