Interview with Caroline Bowen about Speech-Language Pathology

FAQ INDEX

FAQ 4 FAQ 5

Speech-Language Pathology
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
A student interviews Caroline Bowen

Dear Dr Bowen,

Hello! My name is N and I'm a Speech Pathology student (a Junior--undergrad) at X- University in Michigan. One of our assignments is to interview a Speech Pathologist and write a paper entitled, "A day in the life of a Speech Pathologist / Audiologist".

I know it isn't always easy to find someone by phone at the right time so I thought it might be easier to send you my questions through e-mail and you can just answer them at your earliest convenience (ASAP).

If you feel you won't have time to do this then please just disregard this e-mail, it's ok! You do not need to answer all the questions. Answer what is applicable to you and within your scope of time.

Thank you for your thoughts and your time. By the way, I enjoyed your site, it is very comprehensive! I saved it so I can return to read more.

Sincerely, N

November 25, 2000

Dear N:

Thank you for your email. Since June 1998, when my web site, www.speech-language-therapy.com, was first posted, hundreds of requests for information about speech-language pathology (SLP) as a career have been received. These requests have come from school and college students and people in other occupations or professions investigating a career change. As well, many consumers of SLP services, including parents of children with communication impairments, and people who stutter, express interest in becoming SLPs themselves.

The questions and answers page here is an attempt to answer those questions. Your detailed questionnaire raises other questions, and my answers to most of them are below.

Best wishes,

Caroline

Dr Caroline Bowen
Speech-Language Pathologist
Australia

November 25, 2000

Interview
N gave permission for these questions and answers to be posted here. CB

What are some tips for success?
The qualities required to be an effective, efficient and "successful" speech-language pathologist can be summed up in three words: competency, commitment and optimism.

What kinds of settings have you worked in?
Since 1976 I have worked in my own private practice. In addition, I have done, and occasionally continue to do a little part time University teaching. I am an Honorary Associate in Linguistics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. I have also worked in hospital, school, sensory impairment, and developmental disability settings.

Knowing that SP is a career that entails a lot of creativity, what has been your source for inspiration for creating therapy sessions?
The clients' need and interests (awareness of which is often enhanced by insights from parents or caregivers).

What kinds of media have you used –– such as music, art, technology?
All of the above. I draw constantly, sing occasionally, go through gallons of glue and miles of adhesive tape, and my notebook (computer) is always close at hand.

What are your predictions for the future of SP? (Demand, which areas will be expanding the most, more of a specific disorder, financially...)
I am not in a position to make such predictions myself. There are scattered answers to these questions here. As well as providing information about colleges and universities, the ASHA web site includes sections about the indicators for demands for communication disorders specialists, an FAQ's page, information about the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology, helpful articles for those considering or beginning a career in communication sciences and disorders.

Can you remember your most creatively interesting therapy session?
No, I cannot single one out. The type of creativity I enjoy most in therapy occurs when a client is "creative" linguistically.

What are the ages of your youngest and oldest patients?
Over my career, a 2 day old boy with a cleft lip and palate to a 98 year old woman with dysphagia. Currently, 11 months to 12 years (mainly 2, 3, 4, and 5 year olds with language, speech and fluency problems).

I know technology is a growing part of the profession in general, what role does it play in your particular area of work?
I use IT daily in my work as a clinical and teaching tool.

How do you promote awareness (of SP, Voice Hygiene...), in your community?
Well, it depends what you mean by "community". Any member of our profession who looks for professional information on the Internet will be struck by the fact that Speech-Language Pathology (or Speech and Language Therapy, or whatever it is called, wherever you happen to be in the world) is a global institution.

bougainvillea (INSTITUTIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, CONSUMERS AND THE NET)

This interview provides quite a good example of what I mean. Here I am on a balmy November evening in Sydney, distracted, as the light fades, by a gorgeous haze of bougainvilleas and jacaranda trees beyond my study window.

There you are, N, somewhere in Michigan on a brisk fall morning, researching your paper. And we are engaging with each other - across generations, cultures and a vast distance - about our common interest in human communication and its disorders.

Don't worry, I'm not going to get into the 'think globally, act locally' discussion, but in answer to your question, through my web site,www.speech-language-therapy.com,I promote awareness of Speech-Language Pathology to a wide international audience of consumers of our services: including clients, families and allied professionals.

Of course, this international audience also includes many speech and language professionals and students. Increasingly, my site, and sites like it, are becoming powerful vehicles for increasing the awareness of SLPs (and aspiring SLPs) of what is happening in our field in different parts of the globe. In that sense, the "community" I am striving to reach definitely includes the English speaking Speech-Language Pathology world community at large. There are comparable sites being developed by other members of our profession in Afrikaans, Belgian, French, German, and Spanish, among other languages.

From time to time I also write articles for other web sites and consumer publications, make presentations to professional and community groups, and participate in media interviews.

On the local front, our Speech and Language Clinic in Gordon has established a high community profile. [UPDATE: As of June 30, 2004, I now work at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains of NSW]

You wanted to know how I disseminate information about specific topics like vocal hygiene. There are examples of consumer information relating to voice care here.

What setting would you say is in highest demand for SP?
The demand for speech-language pathologists varies from country to country, and from one part of a country to another. There are some leads to further information here and here.

What kinds of benefits are usually included in an employment contract, and what are some things I should look for in an employment contract?
These are important considerations. There is information here and here.

Are you bilingual?
No. I am ashamedly monolingual. The closest I have come to bilingualism is two brushes with French! I had an article published in French in the FNO Journal in September 2000 (FNO is the French equivalent of ASHA), and my book Developmental phonological disorders: A practical guide for families and teachers has been translated into French and Spanish. Authorised translations of the book have yet to be published.

ASHA stresses the need for qualified bilingual providers.

If so, how has your experience as a SP been different from colleagues who are not bilingual?
It would take me a while to think about that question!

And if you are not bilingual what has your observation been regarding those who are?
I admire them.

What kind of disorders are the most prevalent in the setting you are currently working in?
Child language and speech disorders on my personal caseload. As a group we see the range of communication disorders in children and adults.

Have you ever worked in another country? I heard there have been several health care cuts made and the health care system in the U.S. is getting worse.
I work in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. [UPDATE: As of June 30, 2004, I now work at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains of NSW]

I have been thinking about seeking employment in Europe, what kinds of differences might I expect to see there in all aspects?
There is information here about SLP-life in many European countries.

What kinds of disorders do you have expertise in?
Paediatric language, speech, fluency and voice disorders and communication disorders in the autism spectrum. Adult voice disorders.

What other kinds of health professionals do you team up with?
I liaise with medical practitioners including family physicians, paediatricians, ear nose and throat specialists and neurologists, as well as psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, dieticians, community nurses, lactation specialists and of course, other SLPs.

What is your schedule like, and how much flexibility is there?
At the time of writing, I work between 40 and 60 hours a week doing a combination of clinical and clinical administration work, and academic teaching. I see 20 to 25 clients a week and I have a lot of flexibility, but there is never enough time to do all the research and writing I would like to do.

How would you compare the time you spend working directly with patients, and the time you spend doing paper work?
At the clinic 10% is paper work.

What personal qualities must a SP have?
I said this before in response to question one. The qualities required to be an effective and efficient speech-language pathologist can be summed up in three words: competency, commitment and optimism.

What qualities will a SP gain through time as a direct result of their profession?
Who can predict?

What did you look for in a grad program? What are some signs indicating its excellence?
There was a very limited choice at the time, so I took what was available. I lived in a small rural town in Western Australia that did not even have a senior high school (so I went to boarding school), and I had to go to a University in a different state (Victoria) on the other side of the country.

By the age of 18 I was intent upon becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist. After leaving boarding school I worked in various jobs, saving hard for my fare to Victoria. The jobs included speech and drama teaching and a live-in child care position in a school for deaf children. I used my "life savings" to relocate to Victoria and worked for one year as a live-in "child care officer" in a girls' home in Lara, a country town near Geelong.

To my enormous relief, my application to "do" SLP was successful, and I was awarded a scholarship that paid tuition fees and provided a small allowance. The allowance was not enough for me to support myself, so I worked my way through University, first as a live-in supervisor of boarders in a girl's high school, and then as a live-in "housemother" in a hostel for adults with hearing impairments. At the hostel, most of my "children" were years older than me! The speech-language pathology program I attended was the only one in Australia at the time that accepted interstate students from Western Australia.

What were the strengths of the program you were at?
We had some very dedicated and skilful teachers who were generous with their time and support. Scientific method was emphasised and independent thinking, creativity and innovation were encouraged. The range of clinical opportunities was unsurpassed. We were welcome EVERYWHERE! Speech-Language Pathologists were in high demand, and everyone wanted to help us learn as much as possible.

Where did you do your graduate degree?
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The degrees you call "graduate degrees" in the States, we call "post graduate degrees".

What motivates you in your profession?
Interest. What keeps me interested is, I think, the fact that we work in a field in which most days we can say that we have made a (positive) difference. The work can be intense and tiring, and there are frustrations of course, but mostly it is a very satisfying, rewarding profession.

What is your favorite part of your day?
I really enjoy getting together with SLP colleagues. One of the most satisfying aspects of my job is that I cannot really say that I ever have a "typical" day or a favourite part of the day. My work experience is constantly interesting, challenging and satisfying, and often surprising.

What are your credentials?
LTCL (Speech and Drama Teaching)
LACST (Speech-Language Pathology)
DipFTIA (Family Therapy)
PhD (Clinical Linguistics)
Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia
Honorary Life Member Private Speech Pathologists' Association NSW
International Affiliate Member of ASHA

I am looking at transferring to the University of X next semester and they require a minor in SP, do you believe students might be better prepared not only for the M.S. program but also for their career having that emphasis in their major, and what would the advantages be?
I have insufficient knowledge of the system to comment sensibly on this.

Is it a bad idea to transfer in the middle of one's course of study once in a grad program?
It would depend on the motivation of the student, and the circumstances. Ask yourself why you are asking.

Did you take courses in the summer?
No, but I did extra clinical placements on a volunteer basis, and "holiday jobs" like selling encyclopaedias, fruit packing, farm work and child care, to help buy text books and pay my way through school.

How do you prepare for the national exam?
There is no "National Exam" as such in Australia. I studied for all my exams!

What was your Thesis about?
PhD title: "Evaluation of a phonological therapy with treated and untreated groups of young children". There is information about the therapy approach that was evaluated here.

Page updated 07 Dec 2006

http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/interview.htm