Introducing Another S-LP Student Clinician: Jennifer Smith
Well Said is delighted to partner with the University of Toronto in our dedication to clinical education. In early January, we welcomed to the clinic two student clinicians from the Speech-Language Pathology program at the U of T. Jennifer Smith and Michelle Simmons will be with us for eight weeks until the end of February. Another post will be introducing Michelle Simmons. This blog post is dedicated to introducing Jennifer!
What is a clinical internship?
A clinical internship - or placement - is a period of intensive clinical training and experience under supervision. Supervision is provided by a clinician who has been practicing for a specified minimum number of years, and thus can provide suitable modelling and guidance. To begin, the student clinicians shadow the clinicians to better understand the vision and general approach of the clinic, as well as to learn about different assessment and treatment approaches. When they have familiarized with the various components of the clinic- such as the client population, the diversity of clients’ needs, and the clinic’s available resources, they take a more active role in the treatment sessions. By the end, the student clinicians will have gained greater independence in sessions, taking a leading role in designing, implementing and evaluating appropriate assessment and treatment approaches.
As both Jennifer and Michelle have successfully completed two clinical internships previous to January 2020, in addition to finishing up the majority of their coursework, we are confident they are equipped to contribute as valuable members of the clinical team. In fact, we are excited to have them share their knowledge on current research and new discoveries in the area of speech language pathology.
Jennifer’s educational background
Jennifer earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Waterloo, having majored in Psychology and minored in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies. Before beginning the Masters of Speech-Language Pathology program at the University of Toronto, she gained extensive relevant volunteer experience, in sites including KidsAbility Centre for Child Development, McLennan Speech and Language Service, and AccessAbility Services. Jennifer was also a lab manager for an Infant Studies Group with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Jennifer’s previous internship sites and roles
Since entering the speech-language pathology program, Jennifer has completed two internships— one at George Hull Centre, and another at FIREFLY Northwest.
At George Hull Centre in Etobicoke, Jennifer worked with the preschool population in language and speech development. She regularly set therapy goals and implemented personalized and specific approaches to target these goals. Frequently, she collaborated with parents and caregivers so they could begin to participate in their children’s overall communication development. While she was there, Jennifer co-facilitated More than Words parent training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For the next internship, Jennifer flew to Sioux Lookout in north-western Ontario to work with preschool children from ages 2-10. As these clients were from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds—with most of them from various aboriginal communities— Jennifer used her creativity and flexibility to ensure assessment and treatment was culturally relevant. As before, she administered language and communication assessments, following them up with appropriate treatment approaches. An area of particular focus was articulation therapy, in which she helped clients achieve correct pronunciation of target sounds. Additionally, Jennifer provided online training workshops to community educators, such as teachers who had more regular access to the children, and thus could implement her recommended treatment methods more consistently.
Relevance of Jennifer’s experience
Jennifer’s clinical experience with linguistically and culturally diverse members of the community, including those in both Southern and Northern Ontario, has honed her creativity and flexibility to be culturally relevant. She has appropriately modified assessment and management methods to effectively engage her clients. Moreover, Jennifer’s collaboration with families has shown that she can extend therapy outside of the clinic by implementing supports for her clients. Finally, Jennifer’s training in articulation therapy will be particularly valuable for clients seeking accent modification services. Overall, Jennifer’s academic background, relevant clinical experience and her willingness to support her clients combine to ensure her efficacy in identifying clients’ areas of need, setting goals, and efficiently moving towards target fulfillment.
We look forward to collaborating with you, Jennifer!
Note: This blog post features S-LP student Jennifer! To find out more about the other S-LP student Michelle, read the blog post written by Megan Smith (M.Sc.A.).
To schedule an initial consultation with Jennifer, you can call the clinic, use the chatbox on our website, or schedule your own appointment at https://www.torontospeechtherapy.com/online-booking. Select an appointment with Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinic Director Melissa James on Mondays, or with Level 2 Speech-Language Pathologist Dain Hong on Wednesdays.
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.