Narrative-Based Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

This book addresses the "clinician side" of the therapeutic equation by spotlighting the interactional aspects of clinical work in speech-language pathology, and encourages the development of interactional skills and attitudes as the clinician gains experience. The method used to explore this topic is autoethnographic narrative, a commonly used tool in other disciplines including medicine - 'listening to patients' - and occupational therapy, but thus far rarely explored in speech-language pathology. The first section of the book provides a conceptual and theoretical framework for the use of autoethnographic narratives, and synthesizes knowledge from narrative-based work that is relevant to clinical practice in speech-language pathology. Included are a series of autoethnographic narratives that describe important turning points in the author's own development as a clinician. By assuming that her own development as a clinician is typical, the author provides examples that can be discussed and reflected on so that professional growth can be fostered. The book concludes with a practical section on the use of narratives in clinical training, clinical practice, and professional development. This book will be of value in professional issues courses for graduate students in speech-language pathology or related disciplines and because of its relatively new introduction to the field, it will also be of value to the experienced clinician for professional development.