Building a space that affirms all gender identities not only enhances our therapeutic work but also ensures that all clients feel respected, seen, and understood. Here’s a look at how SLPs and clients of SLPs can make our practices more gender-inclusive.
Creating A Gender-Inclusive Environment: A Guide For SLPs And Clients Read Post »
In this blog post, we will get into a discussion about 1) what boundaries are, 2) power and social dynamics that influence who feels comfortable setting boundaries, and 3) strategies for learning to set boundaries in your own life.
Communication And Boundaries Read Post »
Stuttering is a disruption in the fluency of verbal expression characterized by involuntary audible or silent repetitions or prolongations of sounds or syllables. There is not one cause of stuttering. These are not readily controllable and may be accompanied by other movements or by emotions of a negative nature such as fear, embarrassment or irritation. Strictly speaking stuttering is a symptom, not a disease.
Relapse In Stuttering Read Post »
Many people have experienced anxiety when engaging in communication with others. When we experience this anxiety, we all engage in different strategies to cope with the uncomfortable emotional reactions to communication. Have you ever pondered on where this communication anxiety comes from?
How Trauma Impacts Communication Read Post »
Presenting to others is something that we must often do, whether that is in-person or virtual. Many people consider a presentation to involve a large audience and a PowerPoint, but this does not always have to be the case. Even a meeting to 5 people about a recent project’s progress can cause similar levels of nervousness.
Preparing For Presentations Read Post »
While working as a Leadership Coach and Mental Health Professional, something I have found useful that support people with developing their communication skills is a visualization practice.
Visualization & Embodiment Practice for Communication Read Post »
Breathing is an automatic function of the body which many people don’t think about. It is one of the most important processes to sustain life. It is observed that a lot of people have inadequate breathing. Proper breathing is essential not only for a healthy body and mind, but also for a good voice and effective speech.
Adequate Breathing In Speech And Communication Read Post »
Many may experience difficulties with maintaining attention when they are communicating with others or trying to complete daily tasks. No matter what the cause is or what sort of difficulties one may be experiencing with attention, it can lead to many day-to-day problems that affect the overall functioning of the person. These difficulties can impact the person’s personal and professional life.
Inattention When Communicating Read Post »
Throughout my time working in the area of communication and leadership from a psychotherapy approach, I have begun to wonder how our journeys with enhancing our communication with others is also a stage-by-stage process and is influenced by our trauma healing journeys as well.
How Do Patriarchal Social Norms Impact Women’s Communication? Read Post »
Throughout my time working in the area of communication and leadership from a psychotherapy approach, I have begun to wonder how our journeys with enhancing our communication with others is also a stage-by-stage process and is influenced by our trauma healing journeys as well.
The Non-Linear Path Of Effective Communication & Trauma Healing Read Post »
Have you ever struggled to communicate your experiences with your mental health, trauma triggers, or simply your life story to others? In many ways there are benefits to feeling confident and able to share our life experiences with our mental health and trauma with others if we need support, accommodation, or someone to understand our story.
Trauma Survivors Struggle With Communicating Their Stories Read Post »
Our voices are not something we often have to put much thought into, until something goes awry. Although voice disorders are often associated with neurological conditions, such as nerve damage, there are many behaviours and events in daily life that can cause voice damage as well.
The Importance Of Vocal Care And Hygiene Read Post »
Applying psychotherapy to address communication issues can be a useful process because together, we can address the underlying causes of your communication issues. I draw on different psychotherapeutic frameworks and approaches in my practice.
Learn About My Psychotherapy Approach Read Post »
Have you ever wondered how your communication style and strategies may be influenced by different life experiences or by your experiences within different social and cultural institutions? In this blog post, we will explore a Bio-Ecological Model that analyzes the ways people’s mental health is impacted by different life experiences and how this model translates to treatment of communication issues.
Communication Issues: ‘Bio-Ecological’ Model and Psychotherapy Practice Read Post »
This blog post is part of my 2-part series on clinical literature review-based articles that highlight the effectiveness of CBT for treating communication anxiety and social avoidance tendencies. I have aimed to focus on analyzing the ways that CBT is used in these articles as a clinical method for treating anxiety and social avoidance symptoms that may happen to share similarities with other mental health issues that the articles discuss.
Continuing Communication Anxiety & Avoidance from a CBT Approach Read Post »
Leadership skills have a great impact in a person’s personal as well as professional life. Leadership can be defined as a kind of action or many actions that leads other individuals or a team to success. This helps people with different skills and ideas to put forth their abilities to work for a common goal or achievement.
Enhance Your Leadership Skills Read Post »
I define communication anxiety as physiological responses to social situations that are perceived as a threat by our nervous systems – for example, one with communication anxiety may experience a racing heartbeat, digestion difficulties, trouble sleeping, headaches, etc when confronted with certain social situations.
Addressing Communication Anxiety & Avoidance from a CBT Approach Read Post »
Many professionals come into the clinic wanting to work on professional communication. Some of the biggest challenges many clients face are presentations. Whether its nerves, getting a new role, or just general presentation skills. This is something that can be improved through time and practice.
Best And Worst Presentations Read Post »
Something I have noticed over the years is that communication issues and communication anxieties often arise when people are feeling insecure or lacking confidence in who they are. Often, I have seen people feel anxious about their communication because they are fearful of how people may perceive them.
Meditation for Confidence and Communication Read Post »
Our mental health can have a significant influence on our ability to communicate effectively with others and have fulfilling social relationships. Does your ability to communicate effectively change whenever you feel anxious, tense, fearful, or stressed?
How Psychotherapy Addresses Communication Read Post »
Living an assertive lifestyle can help us to become truer to ourselves, in other words more ‘authentic’ and happier. People strive to live an ‘authentic life’ one where their actions and words match their core beliefs and values.
Living An Authentic (Assertive) Lifestyle Read Post »
One of the most damaging things a child with a speech impediment can hear at an early age is that they need to “fix” their speech. Many children who stutter internalize this message and believe they are “broken” in some fundamental way.
Stuttering and the Power of Acceptance Read Post »
Many people feel that they are able to complete their presentation well, but when it comes down to answering questions sometimes they blank or become less fluent. Many clients describe this as being caught off guard, or not be able to prep for questions, resulting in them becoming more nervous and less fluent in their speech.
Answering Questions Read Post »
Gender is a social construct and therefore, “gendered” voice is also a construct. When working on modifying your voice, first you have to understand the different elements at play in how a voice will sound.
Breaking Down Voice Feminization Read Post »
Have you ever experienced difficulties saying ‘no’ to others? Why do you think that happens? Sometimes it may be that we feel bad hurting other’s feelings, or we form elaborate stories in our mind that may potentially play out when we say ‘no’.
Having More Confidence Saying ‘NO’ Read Post »
Breathe in, breathe out…seems pretty simple, right? Well, you may be surprised to know there are actually multiple types of breathing patterns and only one is most efficient when speaking or singing. Today we will go through 4 different types of breathing patterns, starting with the optimal breathing pattern.
What Type Of Breather Are You? Read Post »
One of the most important things when it comes to being assertive is thinking assertively. If we want to be assertive communicators but are not thinking assertively, then it will be very difficult to reach our goal.
Our Assertive Rights Read Post »
You might have noticed that the clinic shut down on June 22nd. Learn a little about what we did on that date here.
Our June 2021 PD Day Read Post »
The writing of a clear, concise, and effective email is an area of professional communication that is often overlooked.
Common Pitfalls Of ‘Work’ Emails Read Post »
Undesirable vocal behavior can occur for various reasons, and within my practice I have found that understanding the cause is always integral to finding the solution. If you struggle with a voice that is unreliable and cracks without warning, keep reading to learn some of the possible explanations, as well as strategies to develop a stronger, more consistent voice.
Why Does My Voice Keep Cracking? Read Post »
Sometimes I have clients come to me and start talking about how they are having a difficult time staying focused when in conversations, or when becoming emotional, having a difficult time self-regulating and controlling their own emotions.
Having Problems With Executive Functions? Read Post »
Some people who stutter are so good at masking their struggle with fluid speech that you would never know they stuttered.
Stuttering, Without the Stuttering Read Post »
There are four basic types of word stress that lead to proper intonation in English. These include: Tonic stress, Emphatic stress, Contrastive stress and New information stress.
Don’t Stress About Word Stress! Read Post »
Since the pandemic started in 2020 masks were made mandatory in June/July last year. Masks are required to be worn in all enclosed public spaces, public transportation and many workplaces. Since then we all know the struggles of wearing a mask and trying to communicate.
Are Masks Affecting Your Voice? Read Post »
Gendered expectations and feedback influence our vocal presentations from a young age. When adults speak to children and assume their gender, they alter the pitch and tone of their voices.
Gendered Vocal Behavior Read Post »
If you are interested in what we did on our non-clinical day, here is where you can find out
Our April 2021 PD Day Read Post »
If you want to appear more confident in professional environments, eliminating “sorry” from your vocabulary is a good place to start. You don’t need to apologize for not understanding, stating your opinion or asking a question. Be unapologetically assertive when voicing your thoughts in the office and watch your confidence grow.
How To Replace “Sorry” At Work Read Post »
When giving feedback we maybe often worry about hurting the others feelings or not clearly giving the feedback they had hoped for do too language that is too flowery and not to the point.
Difficulties Giving Feedback? Read Post »
Help yourself by playing an active role in goal-setting.
Speech-Language Pathology As A Regulated Profession Read Post »
There are many reasons to ditch gendered language. In this brief article I will give some examples of language to revisit and rationale, as we move toward a more inclusive society.
Let’s Revisit Gendered Language Read Post »
Help yourself by playing an active role in goal-setting.
Setting Goals For Speech Therapy Read Post »
Some people who are transgender/nonbinary use testosterone in order to change elements of their gender presentation. On occasion, someone who has been on testosterone for many years continues to be misgendered due to their vocal presentation. Why does this happen? Is there a way to make sure your voice changes with testosterone? How does vocal change occur, and why doesn’t it happen for all people?
Testosterone (T) And Gender Voice Modification Read Post »
Muscle tension dysphonia can occur in both men and women and is usually caused by abuse or misuse of the voice. Muscles can become tight and this makes it difficult for the individual to use their voice efficiently.
Muscle Tension Dysphonia Read Post »
If you are frequently finding yourself in awkward silences not knowing what to say next, these conversation tips are for you!
Maintain An Engaging Conversation Read Post »
Being misgendered can range from uncomfortable to unsafe. Correcting someone on the spot isn’t always an option. Here are some situation-specific tips for when it happens to you.
Misgendered? Communicate Effectively Without Losing Your Cool Read Post »
Often I have a lot of clients telling me that they are having difficulties with the ‘L’ sound. So why is it so hard to say the ‘L’ in words in English such as ‘ball’, when you already have this sound in your language as well? The reason is because there are differences in how we pronounce the ‘L’ sound in English.
Differences Between Pitch, Intonation, and Inflection Read Post »
The real problem with stuttering is actually non-stutterers. Let’s put the blame where it’s due.
Stuttering Isn’t Actually The Problem Read Post »
Many of us are now working from home through Zoom or other similar platforms. If you are finding yourself struggling to be an effective communicator in online meetings, you may be falling victim to one of these top 5 virtual communication mistakes:
Top 5 Zoom Meeting Mistakes Read Post »
Free yourself from the notion that your vocal characteristics are gendered. Imagine yourself, hear yourself, listen to yourself…
Deconstruct Your Voice Read Post »
Building strong habits is the key to behaviour change – and here is how you can do it.
In addition, with lockdowns and restricted movement and social interaction for many folks working at home, many of us are having a difficult time holding ourselves accountable to the things we want to do. This article addresses how to tell if your practice habits are working for you or against you.
Am I Getting Enough Practice In? Read Post »
Wearing a mask muffles the sounds of speech and can make higher pitched voices difficult to understand. Additionally, face coverings remove our ability to get visual cues from lip movements and facial expressions, which are very helpful for understanding speech. So how can you project your message clearly while still protecting your health?
Masked Messenger – Communicate Clearly During Covid-19 Read Post »
A common question I get from many of my clients of accent modification is, “why does it sound like that?” They are referring to the lack of one-to-one correspondence between sound and symbol. English seems to be a toss salad with five exceptions accompanying each rule.
As most of us know by now or at least have heard something about it, USA President Joe Biden stutters. He has struggled with stuttering his whole life.
USA President Joe Biden’s Stutter Read Post »
Certain ways of attempting to sound more feminine are unsustainable, damaging to the vocal cords and/or simply will not lead to a passable feminine voice. Let’s explore some of the common mistakes and misunderstandings that can prevent someone from achieving a natural and sustainable feminine voice.
Why Am I Struggling to Feminize My Voice? Read Post »
As a Speech Pathologist working in an adult clinic, I often get asked what the difference is between a psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatrist. In order to find and pick the right person to see, you have to have a good understanding of what each profession does.
Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Or Psychotherapist Read Post »
In a job interview, you only have a short period of time to show the person on the other side of the table that you are the right candidate for the position. If you struggle with answering behavioural questions, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Read about how to use the STAR Framework when structuring your responses.
How To Ace Your Next Interview Read Post »
Curious about our recent event Dating On The Spectrum? Interested in participating in the future? Learn more here!
Dating On The Spectrum Read Post »
On Sunday, October 4th, Well Said hosted an event called Dating on the Spectrum, which gathered individuals on the spectrum between ages 20-35 to allow them an opportunity to meet. Here are some tips that were shared with the participants, most of which are useful reminders for any person who are interested in speaking with a specific person.
Tips For Dating And Making Contact Read Post »
Our intentions may be to communicate well, but when it comes to difficult topics, sometimes feelings take over and make things much more difficult.
Guilt, Shame, and Communication Read Post »
Whether you’re convincing your child to eat their vegetables or selling a product to a potential client, persuasive communication is an essential skill for influencing those around you. To become an effective persuasive communicator, the following 6 principles of persuasion can guide you on your next sales call or dinner debate with the kids.
Principles Of Persuasive Communication Read Post »
We’ve all experienced the awkward interactions and painfully long silences that occur when small talk goes wrong. So how can you master the art of chit chat and feel confident entering your next casual conversation? Let’s begin by exploring what exactly is small talk.
Top 5 Best And Worst Small Talk Topics Read Post »
People often give feedback to each other on their executive presence, but what does that phrase really mean?
What Is “Executive Presence”? Read Post »
When you send a message, the way you say it is just as important if not more important than what you say. Even the most brilliant of ideas can seem like no big deal if presented without the right techniques. Here are the three components of a powerful message delivery.
Three Components Of A Powerful Delivery Read Post »
Often people mistake stuttering for typical dysfluencies. We all have dysfluencies at one point or another and this should not be confused with stuttering. A stutter is diagnosed by an SLP assessment looking at the types of dysfluencies the person is presenting, how often these dysfluencies occur, at what moments does the person stutter most (conversation, reading, single words), and how does the person react to their stuttering.
Stuttering Explained Read Post »
The Stuttering Severity Instrument is a standardized assessment used by speech-language pathologists (known as speech-language therapists in some jurisdictions) to evaluate the severity of a person’s stutter.
What is the Stuttering Severity Instrument? Read Post »
There are several synonyms that are used instead of stuttering.
Are there any synonyms for stuttering? Read Post »
Take a look into the research behind power posing as a confidence-building tool.
Strike A (Power) Pose Read Post »
Stepping in front of a crowd can be an anxiety inducing experience for anyone. This article outlines some of the most common mistakes as well as helpful pointers to ensure that when it’s time to take the mic, you can be confident that your presentation.
The Dos And Don’ts Of Presentations Read Post »
