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Early Intervention Speech Therapy

Getting Balanced in 2009

Published January 9, 2009 9:25 AM by Stephanie Bruno
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As of Wednesday evening, January 7 (as I am writing this post), no one has written in to share their plans for how to stay balanced as a therapist, wife, husband, mother, father, daughter, son, brother or sister in 2009! I thought for sure I would hear from someone out there in Early Intervention land!! However, this leads me to believe that maybe everyone out there is already TOO BUSY to comment on our blog! Yikes! I hope that this is not the case; however I know how hectic my week has been so far. I can only imagine how some of you out there are doing trying to get back into the swing of things!

This week, I've heard some friends and coworkers say, "I'm so glad 2008 is over!" I really don't agree per se. I enjoyed 2008, but it is over and 2009 has arrived! I want to make this year even better. A year where my life, my relationships and my profession all improve, advance and evolve. With the beginning of a new year we are given fresh opportunities. Each moment brings a new breath, a new thought, a new feeling, a new choice. The unexpected is inevitable, which is sometimes scary. I believe that how we handle these opportunities are vital and can make all the difference in the impressions we make, the lives we touch, the work we do and the families we help.

I know, I know, many of you are saying, I've heard this all before; but some of you may rarely hear positive encouragement and I believe for all of us, it never hurts to be reminded.

My goal with the last post and today's as well is to inspire you to look deeper into your life and your profession—are they balanced? I believe that how we view ourselves and our life is often reflected in our work, and vise versa. How we interact with our co-workers, our boss and the families and children we see everyday is vital to our success. Do you snap at co-workers? Do you find yourself losing patience with the families you are supposed to be helping? Do you catch yourself having negative thoughts throughout the day? We all know gloomy people, who seem to thrive on complaints, problems and gossip. This year, don't let yourself be one of them! This year, welcome in new challenges! Take time for yourself! Take time for the people and activities that mean the most to you! Learn something new! Travel someplace special! Read a good book! Get some extra sleep! Call an old friend! In other words, take TIME to enjoy LIFE, whatever that means for YOU. If you take care of you, you will be that much stronger to take care of the children and families that depend on you everyday.

Now let us welcome the New Year,
Full of things that have never been.

— Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet


Posts to look for:

  • The many ways to hunt for speech therapy jobs in 2009!
  • My fascinating interview with Speech Therapist, Susan B. Nachimson and her work with aquatic therapy!
posted by Stephanie Bruno
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4 comments
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Oh, it's so nice to nice to hear from some other SLPs out there! I'm also happy to hear you are having positive experiences and know you are making a difference (despite the winter weather!!). Thank you for sharing all your experiences! I also love when students and CFs write in - make sure you read tomorrow's post on job hunting!!

Regarding the oral motor snowman box - I've done a few different things to ensure everything is sanitary:

1) I chose toys/tools that are disposable and inexpensive (like straws, feathers and cotton balls) and everyone gets their own. If the tools/toys survive the session, I ask parents to put everything in a ziplock baggie and keep it at home so they can practice throughout the week and we re-use it at the next session or two.

2) If it is a more expensive tool (like the Z-vibe) I put everyone's tip into their own bag and label it, so there's no confusion. I also bring wipes to clean off the main tool inbetween sessions. I hold-on to the tips because we are on a budget.

3)The other path I take is to give parents a list of a few suggested items to purchase (if they want to and are able) - such as an electric toothbrush, straws, etc. This cuts down on cost and helps to ensure the family will practice throughout the week!

Be SAFE in all the snow and ice!! Thanks for writing in!!
steph, blog author January 12, 2009 10:01 PM

I enjoy reading this blog each week! Thank you for sharing ideas and information.  I am a new CFY and I have only been working for ECI for about 4 months. I guess I would say that I am still in the post grad school "honeymoon phase"; however, there are some days when I just don't feel that I am making a difference. It is on those days that I am not my usual chipper, optimistic self. One of the kiddos on my caseload is going through the process of transitioning to school services because she will be turning 3 soon. I have been asked to summarize her progress since I have been working with her. Today, as I sat down to re-read all my progress notes (from the beginning) I was encouraged by the amount of progress that she has made. I was even more encouraged after reading her father's comments that I wrote each week...he was seeing the progress in her daily life! It was great to take some time to "re-live" one of my kiddos "therapeutic journeys" and it was a great way to start off a new week. I am energized and my confidence is restored.....we DO make a difference!
Michele , Speech-Language Pathology - Speech-Lanugage Pathologist Intern, Early Childhood Intervention January 12, 2009 5:09 PM
Tyler TX

Stephanie,

Like you mentioned, 2009 has already become very busy!  Although I only do EI part-time I have found it stressful this winter trying to navigate the streets of Chicago with all of the snow we have received!  I know that an old co-worker has told her families she can only come if the father/husband/boyfriend is home to help push her car out of the snow because she has gotten stuck so many times!  This is frustrating because I feel limited if my ability to help families when poor weather hits.  Hopefully we can all have a safe, healthy, happy, and balanced 2009!

Keep up the great work!
Abby, EI and Private Practice - Speech-Language Pathologist January 12, 2009 3:23 PM
Chicago IL

Hi stephanie,

I just started to read your blog and find many of your topics very interesting.  I love your idea about an oral-motor fun box (like the one you did during the holidays with the snowman)!  What are your tips on using an activity like that when you see several kids during the day and don't have time to properly disinfect the tools?  Also, do you use separate tools for each client and do you bring enough tool for the family and yourself?  Keep up the awesome blog!!
emily , Early Intervetion and 3-8 population - speech-language pathologist, Aspire of Illinois January 11, 2009 4:03 PM
Chicago IL

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