How long have you been working as a speech and language therapist?

I qualified in December 2018, and began my first job in January 2019 - so just over 1 year now!

What made you choose this profession?

I used to work in mental health and I realised that the pressures within the services there I really found hindered my abilities to truly connect with the people whom I was supporting. In my time working within a children's inpatient mental health unit, I found that understanding someone's communication was so key for them to form good healthy relationships, something which some of them were unfortunately not able to do in their homes before coming into hospital. 

I'd not heard about speech and language therapy until I was about 20, when I was part way through my undergraduate degree in psychology and criminology but when I was finding working in mental health exhausting, I remembered about it and thought I would give it a go. I didn't realise at the time, all of the complexities of the role and the areas that you can work in - but I am so happy that I made this decision. I feel at home.  

What is your favourite part of the job?

Being with the wonderful people that I support. I know most people would say this and it sounds cliché, but I truly love working with them all. They often will not put on a façade as you see with so many people in this world. What you see is what you get, and even if what you get is challenging, it is real and there is something very wonderful and refreshing about that. You can really get to know them for who they are, finding out about the strategies that they themselves have created and developed, and not trying to necessarily change that - you work with that and support those around them to appreciate who this individual is and what they need and want in their lives.

What is the most challenging part of the job?

The sadness. Sometimes you will see things that astound you - how, in this day and age, are things like this still happening. Lots of people I work with are extremely vulnerable, and I love having a job where I work towards ensuring they can have a voice, or where this is not possible, they are truly advocated for, but sometimes this also means seeing situations where this is hugely taken advantage of. 

Do you work in a specific service or across the Trust?

I work solely in the community learning disability team. 

What would you say to someone who was thinking about becoming a speech and language therapist?

Go and get some experience - do some shadowing in lots of different areas of speech and language therapy - early years and schools, special schools, learning disabilities, neurological disorders, head and neck cancers, voice clinics (and I know I'll be missing some out!). And if you like communication - you see its importance in all aspects of someone's life, and, if working in some areas, you like the biological side of things with eating and drinking, and again its importance in someone's life, then do it. 

How long have you been working as a speech and language therapist? 

I have been a speech and language therapist for 16 years.

What made you choose this profession?   

I started out as a speech and language therapy assistant in a community learning disabilities team in London. I was interested in working with people around their communication. I found I loved it and was thinking about training when my speech and language therapy colleagues encouraged me to apply and I got a place at short notice and was off to university within a week - with my team's blessing! 

What is your favourite part of the job?

It is so varied and interesting. Fundamentally I think speech, language and communication are endlessly fascinating and complex! It's an incredibly interesting area to work in and our knowledge is increasing all the time, that means there is always something to learn. My favourite part is working  with our fantastic patients, their families and carers, and colleagues. One of the things I enjoy most is the collaborative team element: putting our heads together and figuring things out together, whether it's about contributing to a differential diagnosis, making someone's communication the best it can be or looking at how to make someone's swallowing safe and comfortable. 

What is the most challenging part of the job?

There can be lots of challenges, like any NHS role I think. Specifically with speech and language therapy we are sometimes involved in complex situations and discussions - I'm thinking of something like decisions that are about end of life care and nutrition and hydration. This can be difficult, but it's necessary and our role is being increasingly recognised here. 

Challenges can of course be opportunities - e.g. for advocacy and for highlighting the role of speech and language therapy as well. I'm thinking of where I've been involved in supporting capacity assessments where a person's capacity has been 'revealed'  and  previously they have been deemed to lack capacity, this meant their decisions were then recognised and respected - that's very rewarding. 

Do you work in a specific service or across the Trust?

I work in the Trust's dementia and mental health services in East Sussex.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about becoming a speech and language therapist?

I would highly recommend it! One thing I appreciated about the training was the mix of academic learning and clinical training - and the scope, I did lots of different placements in all sorts of settings and with children and adults of all ages!  I am so thankful that my colleagues gently 'nudged' me to apply that day, one went to work for this Trust and then I joined a few years later - so it now feels entirely serendipitous!