Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.
In this episode of the Fishbowl the ladies talk about how they started their careers, what informed their choices and decision-making, what cascading generalization effects are, the changes in the approaches to certain treatments, why it’s important to ask what you’re learning from your job and stepping away from the props that you’re used to using and focusing more on what you’re targeting.
Discussion & Reflection Questions
- What does the transition from Grad School to work look like?
- What surprised you at your first job?
- How do you bring your own personality and style to the profession?
- Reflect more on what your situation is teaching you, rather than asking why is this happening to me.
- What are your thoughts about evidence-based practice?
- What did you rely on most from your graduate school training?
“And I remember having this moment where I thought both of these people are extremely effective. And I don’t feel like my style is going to be exactly either of those. So it took me some time to just kind of find my way with my own clinical style.”
Janet Tilstra, PhD, CCC-SLP
Associate Professor in Communication Sciences & Disorders at St. Cloud State University
Janet Tilstra is a teacher, mentor, connector of people, and fan of the arts. She works as an Associate professor in Communication Sciences & Disorders at St Cloud State University and consults with schools and community organizations to facilitate strategic planning, mentor teams in applied research, and structure important conversations.
Pre-2015, Janet practiced clinically as a speech-language pathologist, served as a Master Literacy Coach with Minnesota Reading Corps, and taught in the departments of psychology and education at the College of St Benedict. She loves nuanced conversations, reading books with great character development, kayaking, all things music, and winning board games. Janet lives along the Mississippi River in Minnesota with her husband and two cats. She strives to think like a scientist, foster potential in others, live a balanced life, and make the world a little bit better.
“Where does a gesture end and a visual cue begin? I, I felt like I was solid in that. And I can’t necessarily point to a single experience that got me ready for that. But I know, that was hugely important for me, especially when I was trying to write those first notes.”
Katie Widestrom-Landgraf, MS, CCC-SLP
School Speech-Language Pathologist
Katie is a speech-language pathologist who has worked in both medical and educational settings for over 20 years. She presently works with adolescents in a large suburban high school. Katie is a past president of the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MNSHA). She has collaborated with the MN Dept. of Education to expand the understanding of oral language as a critical neurodevelopmental infrastructure for academic achievement processes. She is most passionate about helping students develop their language skills as a tool for thought, wonderment, questioning, and
curiosity…and of course communication. When Katie is not working with the students on her caseload, she is still working with students to develop their communication and self-expression as a high school forensics coach. Katie enjoys great conversations and connections where one loses a sense of time, fabulous dining experiences, transcendent cups of coffee, and books that are so good she negotiates with her alarm clock so that she might finish just one more chapter.
“I remember having questions on what do I do for the for the swallowing and the cog calm and all of this? It wasn’t even called that back then. So, I reached out to my team members, and other speech pathologists that I knew from grad school, very positive experience for me.”
Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC
Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP
Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.
The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.
Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.
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Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.
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