Meet your S-LP Student Clinician: Michelle Simmons
Written by: Megan Smith / Treatment / January 2020
One exciting recent development (of many!) at the Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy clinic is that we have now become a teaching clinic, affiliated with the University of Toronto’s graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology. As a result, two new temporary members have joined our team under the supervision of our registered speech-language pathologists. Another blog post features Jennifer Smith. Read ahead to learn about the UofT program, and more about our student Michelle!
The Program:
The University of Toronto offers graduate-level coursework for speech-language pathologists in training. Over the course of two years, students complete a combination of academic work on communication, swallowing, and disorders of communication and swallowing. They also complete a series of internships working with both pediatric and adult populations. Upon successful completion of this program, students are awarded a Master of Health Sciences degree through the university’s Department of Medicine, and are eligible to register with the regulatory body of Ontario as speech-language pathologists.
By January of their second year, speech-language pathology students have completed coursework and internships in the following areas:
Coursework: Articulation and Related Disorders, Voice Disorders, Fluency Disorders, Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders, Neurogenic Disorders, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Anatomy and Embryology, Speech Physiology and Acoustics, Swallowing, Applied Audiology, and Child Language.
Internships: Developmental Disorders (completed in Jan-Feb of Year 1), and Speech and Hearing Disorders (completed in July or August of Year 1).
The purpose of this clinical internship is to provide our students with the opportunity to develop their clinical skills before starting to work as a registered speech-language pathologist. Their clinical practice is monitored by one or more registered speech-language pathologists, who will guide their skill development, provide feedback on their performances, and will ultimately be responsible for the students’ clients.
To learn more about the UofT Speech-Language Pathology program, you can visit https://slp.utoronto.ca/.
Meet Michelle:
Michelle is a second-year University of Toronto student who is on track to graduate with her M.H.Sc. in the fall of this year. She is practicing under the supervision of Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinic Director Melissa James on Mondays from 12-8PM, and under the supervision of Level 2 Speech-Language Pathologist Megan Smith on Fridays from 9-5PM.
Educational background:
Michelle completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Voice Performance prior to beginning her graduate speech-language pathology program in 2018. She has accumulated extensive volunteer experience with the Toronto Western Hospital Speech Pathology Team, Dr. Rosemary Martino’s Swallowing Lab, and administering a Facebook support group for laryngectomy patients.
Internship and employment experiences:
After graduating with her degrees in voice performance, Michelle accumulated an impressive repertoire of professional and volunteer musical performances, including her present role in the Professional Choir at the Cathedral Church of St. James. From 2005-2019 she worked with University Settlement in Toronto as a program assistant for the Music & Arts School; she also served as the school’s Interim Managing Director for the 2016-2017 year.
Michelle’s supervised speech-language pathology internships have taken her to distant places! Her first internship brought her all the way to Trinidad, where among other activities, she interned under a private practice speech therapist, and helped run a language camp for children with developmental disabilities. Her second internship took her to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, where she worked with the Child Development team at the Janeway Children’s Hospital.
Why we are excited to have Michelle:
It would be impossible to give a complete list of the reasons why we are excited to be working with Michelle for the next few months, but here is a brief summary of why we look forward to collaborating more with her:
As a University of Toronto student, she has access to the leading journals in our field, and knowledge of emerging research in the areas of speech, language and communication. She can therefore research any interesting communication problems that come her way without worrying about paywalls.
Michelle’s background in music performance gives her a fresh perspective on the voice as an instrument, and how to train that instrument to truly maximize its performance!
Her training in both the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Workplace Diversity, and Workplace Violence and Harassment have prepared her to handle sensitive subjects and provide sensitive and inclusive care to clients of all backgrounds.
Michelle’s experience working with motor speech disorders, language disorders, articulation/pronunciation difficulties and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies will give her an advantage when working with clients on language, pronunciation, or compensating for communication challenges.
She is vibrant and full of energy, bringing a breath of fresh air to the clinic. She aims to make even the most repetitive speech exercises fun!
To schedule an initial consultation with Michelle, 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 Megan Smith on Fridays.
In this article, we’ll explore how self-disclosure can be effectively utilized in both workplace and personal contexts, its benefits, and some best practices to ensure it enhances rather than hinders communication.