Counseling Role as an SLP
Per ASHA, counseling is within the SLP's scope of practice. The following resources are provided as tips and techniques for professionals such as SLPs to follow as clinicians within all fields and areas of practice.
Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, ASHA, 2023
Counseling Microskills for Clinicians:
Attending: SOLER method
- ​Sitting squarely/at a comfortable angle and distance
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​Open posture; arms and legs uncrossed
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Leaning forward from time to time; looking genuinely interested & listening attentively
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Effective eye contact without staring
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Remaining relatively relaxed
Listening:
- “Empathetic listening” means listening in such a way that we can correctly understand another person’s point of view and accurately interpret the messages we are receiving
Responding:
- ​Empathetic responses allow clinicians to communicate their understanding and help the client examine their situation more carefully
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​Example: You feel (emotion) because of (experience and behavior)
Probing:
- Probes can help clients take notice of, explore, clarify, or further define an issue
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Statements, Requests, Questions, Nonverbal Prompts
Future-Oriented Probes:
- Help clients regain hope for a future they desire rather than focusing only on the problem they are facing
Brainstorming:
- Help clients open up new possibilities
Summarizing:
- ​Helps clinicians bring together the main points and main topics
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​Paraphrasing - a brief restatement of what someone has said that captures the essence of their words and message to help assure the person that you have accurately heard the central meaning of their message
Challenging:
- Because we are dealing with difficult situations, clients may have difficulty reaching their goals
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​Clinicians must identify roadblocks so they can help clients overcome them
Yaruss, 2019
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Additional Readings:
ASHA's LeaderLive Article:
"How Can SLPs Support Caregiver Resilience?" shares a story from the perspective of a caregiver and SLP role and how counseling helped shift her perspective of self-blame and overcoming burnout as a caregiver.
https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.MIW.27072022.caregiver-resilience.24/full/
CEU Courses:
End-of-Life Care for the SLP- Presented by Amanda Stead, PhD, CCC-SLP
https://www.speechpathology.com/slp-ceus/course/end-life-care-for-slp-8885
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS:
This video shows a brief insight on how SLPs are involved in feeding and swallowing. Faith, the SLP in this video, explains how important it is to integrate counseling into therapy. Our patients may feel discomfort from difficulties with feeding and swallowing and extensive screenings and instruments being placed in or near their faces.
Theresa Richard, a MedSLP, provides a few tips and techniques that SLPs can practice to provide the most person-centered care. Techniques such as asking how the patient is doing or feeling, knowing what the patient's wants and needs are, and understanding how to best accommodate the patient are examples of strategies to increase counseling skills throughout care.