Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.
During episode 3 of the Fishbowl series, 3 SLPs talk about the importance of knowing your big WHY when writing goals and how to really make a difference in the therapeutic outcomes of those they work with in the university setting, the school setting, and the medical setting.
Discussion & Reflection Questions
- What are the main tenets of goal setting in the different settings?
- How important is a solution-focused approach?
- Do we focus on the developmental/rehabilitation expectations or do we focus on the functional needs within the communication setting?
- How important is the big WHY when writing goals?
- Do we need to think of who will be reading our reports?
- How do we define a successful SLP?
- What is the mindset of goal setting in the rehabilitation setting?
- How do you keep from getting tripped up on the details of being an SLP and focus on the truly important concepts?
“…you don’t have to have a program for it [therapy] to go perfectly. You do need to understand quality intervention. But you’re a part of the equation. And that’s not something to be dismissed. That’s as important or more important than whether you select the correct approach.” – Janet Tilstra
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.
“If we have that expectation for therapy, boy, we better be deliberate and intentional about creating a space that is conducive for doing that. I am less interested in 25 productions, and very little interaction around why we’re doing what we’re doing, and much more interested in 11 really solid productions where we have this shared experience and a shared understanding, and some self monitoring embedded.”
– Katie Widestrom-Landgraf
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.
“…when my patients come into my therapy room, I have their chair ready. And they’re my guest of honor. But the responsibility is in their court. And the success lies with them, not necessarily in my clinical skills, because I can be the best or not. I know I’m good enough. I don’t have to be everything because that driver has got to come from the people we work with.”
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.
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Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.
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