One of Kate Avila’s favorite memories from working in Ball State’s Speech-Language Clinic is from when a client made a birthday cake and shared it with her supervisor and student clinician. “[She] was so excited to share it with us and wanted to have a birthday party with us because we were making an impact in her life,” Avila said. “We were part of her life.” The Speech-Language Clinic, which has been in business for more than 50 years, is located in the Health Professions Building on campus and provides speech therapy in Muncie and surrounding communities.

Stanford University prides itself on its international diversity, touting that today's undergraduates hail from 70 countries. So a friend-group that included a computer science major from China, an AI-focused management science and engineering (MSE) major from Russia, and a business-oriented MSE major from Venezuela isn't an anomaly. The friends did the normal things Stanford students do with their free time, like fountain hopping, cheering at football games, and hiking the trail around the Stanford Dish radio telescope.

Arthur J. Compton, Ph.D. is the Founder, Director and President of the Institute of Language & Phonology in San Francisco. He received his BA degree in Business Administration/Advertising, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Linguistics, Psychology, and Speech Pathology, from The Ohio State University. He was an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa where he established academic programs in Psycholinguistics and Child Language. Upon relocating to San Francisco, Dr. Compton taught at the University of California, Berkeley and California State University, Hayward.

I started working with children in high school and upon graduation decided to go to college to be a teacher. However, being a teacher just never felt “right” though I wanted a career revolving around children.

A comfortable wearable assistive technology device for the deaf, a device for pressure injuries and bedsores, a biofluid based diagnostics tool to effectively manage central nervous system diseases and other neurodegenerative conditions, and an AI-powered mobile app that empowers the blind, were the four winning solutions at the recently concluded Techtonic: Innovation in Assistive Technology.

Put a group of health care-based speech-language pathologists in a room, and you’ll have a hard time finding one who serves solely in an administrative role (supervisor, manager, or director). According to ASHA’s year-end membership counts, in 2007 only 10.7% of ASHA-certified SLPs reported an administrative role as their primary employment function. When you subtract the 0.4% who chair an educational or research program, we’re left with 10.3% who work in an administrative role—and we don’t know how many of those are in health care.

After finishing their degree, many music therapists choose to take the entrepreneurial route and start their own private practice. When I first started Miya Music Therapy, I quickly learned that I thoroughly enjoyed being an entrepreneur and all that comes with it including marketing, management, and even building a website!

Dr. Barrera is the owner of New York Neurogenic Speech-Language Pathology, P.C. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist (NY/NJ) & Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) with extensive training in the evaluation & treatment of individuals with neurological condition. She is a recognized expert on the use of modalities (NMES, sEMG, neuromuscular taping, ultrasound) for speech and swallowing rehabilitation and provides clinical training courses globally.

Lois Jean Brady, SLP/AT Specialist from iTherapy shows us the Inner Voice app, which is an augmentative communication app that uses 3D video modeling.

Flexibility, a salary without a ceiling, and being your own boss. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?
You might be a seasoned therapist who’s burnt out from some of the constraints of your full time job, interested in earning an extra income, or a new grad just getting started as an SLP.
No matter the current stage in your career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, if you’ve thought of starting your own private practice, you certainly aren’t alone!