Dysphasia Therapy Within Private Practice.

I became a private practitioner some 8 years ago having spent 13 years in one shape or form in the public sector. My posts have been varied and interesting including Dysphasic Group Co-ordinator at City University and Research Therapist.

Being committed to the ethos of the NHS going into private practice was a difficult choice. However it has meant I can continue to pursue my first love unhampered. That is being a therapist working with clients directly on a regular basis.

However I also believe that being in private practice means I am in a better position to undertake the job more effectively.

First and foremost it means I have more time. Time is so necessary to undertake this painstaking work. Without time the depth of exploration is limited and so inevitably is the recovery.

Secondly, working with clients over a longer period means I am simultaneously developing my therapy skills and increasing my knowledge. The more I do the more I know and the more I know the more I do. Consequently making me a better and far more effective ‘knowledge based’ therapist.

Thirdly, because I have more time I can nurture more robust relationships with my clients. There is no doubt in my mind that the quality of the ‘working relationship’ has a profound impact on the outcome and effectiveness of the therapy we prescribe.

Private therapy therefore provides a perfect forum. Within this arena we can provide the essential elements for success and offer good quality therapy for people with dysphasia.

Private therapy is however not an option for all. Many people do not have the finances to fund such long-term work. NHS provision in many regions is seriously under-resourced. Therefore little or nothing is available to many people with dysphasia who rely on the public sector.

Yes I am now a private practitioner and as things stand I would not dream of returning to the NHS. But I feeling uneasy. I feel uneasy because it is increasingly only within the confines of private practice that we as therapists can offer the quality of service people with dysphasia deserve.

This I believe should not be the case.

Geraldine Wotton- Speech & Language Therapist
Independent Practitioner

I never tire of being engaged in this process. Working alongside people who are language skills having been so confounded by their stroke can be very challenging. Yet observing them emerge, as competent communicators are very rewarding. Even in many cases enabling them to re-engage with the world as speakers and language users once more.