Ask the Expert

Interview with a Vocologist or Why You Can’t Just Hand a Straw to Everyone {Ask the Expert}

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Meet Dan Sherwood, a clinical vocologist at the John Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC. He discovered and pursued a SLP career after thirteen years as an on-air radio personality, hurting his own voice. A lifelong learner, Dan went to great lengths to expand his knowledge of speech pathology and vocology, reading countless books and articles – and even writing one of his own. In this episode, he talks about how that knowledge-seeking approach has improved his effectiveness in therapy and even led to more networking opportunities.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. Tell us about who you are, your background, and why you decided to pursue the field of speech-language pathology, and more specifically, vocology.
2. For the speech pathologist who is just starting in the voice field, or in any niche he or she is interested in moving into, what advice or tips for networking do you have?
3. Can you give us an idea of what your average day at the John Hopkins Voice Center looks like? How many patients do you see? What do you do?
4. On your resume, there are several things you have after your name: Hanna Somatics, Associative Awareness Technique, Optimal Breathing Wholeness. Tell us about those things.
5. How has your documentation style changed over the years?
6. Are there any programs for a new student or a speech pathologist wanting to become more specialized in voice that she or he should add to their resume?
7. You wrote a book called “Voice Therapy 4-1-1.” Can you talk a little about what that covers?

Quote Of The Conversation

“All the learning I’ve acquired, the books I’ve read, the training I’ve gone to, the amazing people I’ve learned from and listened to, both inside and especially outside the speech pathology world, it’s really helped me become a better therapist. But ultimately, my patients teach me how to be a better therapist. Because we have to be on-the-spot, think-on-your-feet, go-off-the-reservation kinds of therapists to give people what they need.”
-Dan Sherwood, MS/CCC-SLP, HSE

Dan Sherwood, MS/CCC-SLP, HSE

Clinical Vocologist, John Hopkins Voice Center at CBMC

Dan Sherwood, MS/CCC-SLP, HSE is a clinical vocologist at the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC. After nearly thirteen years as an on-air radio personality — and hurting his voice more than once — he opted for a helping profession, working with professional voice users. 

He received his master’s degree in speech pathology from Marquette University in 1999 and also studied voice at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music 2001-03. He earned his vocology certification from NCVS in Denver, CO in 2003, and trained with Arthur Lessac in 2004. He is a certified Hanna Somatics practitioner and incorporates this work, as well as his training in Associative Awareness Technique™ and Optimal Breathing® into a holistic approach to vocal therapy. He has presented at national and international conferences on incorporating mind-body practices into traditional vocal rehabilitation.

Keep the Conversation Going

Guest Speaker Information

Dan Sherwood, MS/CCC-SLP, HSE
Clinical Vocologist at the John Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC

Phone – (443) 849-8870

Book: Voice Therapy 4-1-1