Positive Clinician-Client Relationships

Written by: Nimra Khan / Treatment / Apr 21, 2022 / 7 minutes read

The speech therapy field is similar to areas in psychology in that therapists in this field have an extended amount of time to speak with and get to know the clients we work with. Compared to many other professions, such as family medicine, there is much more opportunity to discuss concerns and have a positive understanding for the concerns that you want to target.

You, the reader, might be on the search for an SLP that can address your needs, but it should also be considered that your relationship with the clinician you choose can have a positive impact on therapy overall. Having communication difficulties can also be stressful, so it’s important to you feel positively when attending therapy sessions.

Table Of Contents

1. How Clients Feel About Their Clinicians

2. Counseling – Is This What SLPs Do?

3. Collaborative Approach

4. Related Issues

How Clients Feel About Their Clinicians

Studies have shown that there are many things which adult clients value in their clinicians. This includes interpersonal proficiency, listening in a careful and accepting way, and not playing a false role. Being assertive, flexible and confident were also reported as crucial qualities. From my own experience, all of these qualities have been important in having constructive conversations with clients.

Counseling – Is This What SLPs Do?

In short, yes! SLPs wear many hats, and counseling is a large part of speech therapy. This is defined well by Scott Yaruss, a professor at Michigan State University, as “an interactive therapeutic relationship in which client and clinician work together to find solutions to problems identified by the client”. This is also part of providing advice and education to a client, and does not always have to be related to a negative issue with the clinician themselves. 

In therapy sessions, I have occasionally found clients surprised to hear me ask their opinion on an area of concern (ex: voice) – but as the client, you still provide the most important viewpoint. 

"as the client, you still provide the most important viewpoint."

Collaborative Approach

Although an SLP can provide specific observations and recommendations, an important piece of this is considering what is actually functional for the client’s daily life. It is important to bring that to discussion and consider speech therapy as collaborative, rather than expecting that you will be told what you need to do and can only follow one plan. 

Recent studies also showed that when SLPs are described only as professional experts, it can reinforce powerlessness of clients, which can cause restricted engagement. Your SLP will and should consider controlling turns, requesting known information, and evaluating performance. These can create more collaboration and ‘differential power’, rather than an unequal relationship.  

How can you, the client, bring a collaborative approach to discussing your concerns?

• Consider the SLPs advice, but be clear about what is most important/ a priority for you

• Describe situations in your daily life which can help provide the SLP different contexts that affect you the most (based on your concerns)

• Explain your expectations so that you can discuss what might be realistic 

• If something does not meet your expectations, bring this to the SLPs attention! This allows for less mind-reading and more open discussion 

• Provide feedback! Bring up any concerns about treatment – therapists are human too, which means they aren’t perfect and might not realize is there is something you are unhappy with. This can allow any repair to happen, too. This can also be feedback for positive parts of treatment.

It is important to consider that even if a therapist is kind and a client is positive and motivated, there are times that two personalities are not the best fit. If you feel this way, it’s important to discuss with your therapist to find someone who can be a best fit!

Related Issues

Diversity and inclusion are also important related areas in feeling comfortable with your clinician – therapy approaches should keep in mind that many people come from diverse backgrounds (ex: different languages, cultures, countries). This article provides more discussion about this in the speech therapy field.  

Feedback is “the information given by the clinician or therapist to the client regarding the improvement or the general performance of the client’s speech, language and communication skills”. This is an important part of therapy and rapport, which can help keep everyone on the same page. Read more about feedback here. 

There are many methods of therapy as well, which are important to consider when looking for therapy options. The increase in use of virtual services, which our company also provides, might raise a lot of questions if this is not something you have tried before. Read more about therapy vs. teletherapy here. 

To learn more about communication wellness, you can also try our online course here.

Reference 

Fourie, R., Crowley, N., & Oliviera, A. (2011). A qualitative exploration of therapeutic relationships from the perspective of six children receiving speech-language therapy. Topics in Language Disorders, 31(4), 310–324. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0b013e3182353f00

To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.