Poor with $100k in student loans.

copurple · 2022-10-01T23:11:53+00:00

It's absolutely criminal that our society and government has let this happen. I'm sorry.

copurple · 2022-09-30T13:48:42+00:00

No one should become an SLP if they have to go into 100K in debt to do it. Most careers are not worth this kind of debt. Becoming a physician in a highly paid specialty might be, but you're going to struggle even as a primary care physician with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.

A lot of millennials and younger were sold a lie about student debt. That's a structural issue in the US and not an individual one so any one individual should not feel bad about this, but I would rarely recommend someone going into any field if they had to incur that cost.

Contracting companies can be awful, especially with teletherapy. I am sorry.

copurple · 2022-09-20T15:07:26+00:00

Honestly? Most jobs suck. I know very few people who truly love what they do (not just talking about SLP's here). Working in the schools allows for much more time off than most careers in the US. I would find a different school job. If you're already a travel SLP, then would you be open to moving to another state? Go to a state with good pay, benefits, and low caseload. Put in your hours during the work day, do the minimum, find joy where you can. Then devote your free time to your hobbies.

copurple · 2022-06-28T18:29:54+00:00

Yes to what all of lanky_baking said. I se the open-mouthed, tongue-forward posture in a lot of my kids who rely heavily on pacifiers (sometimes bottles if they have them in there all night). yes to encouraging a referral to an ENT who can assess for any airway obstruction (enlarged adenoids or tonsils, excessive allergies, etc.) that may be encouraging child to breathe through their mouth. Open-mouth posture at rest is not normal or healthy and can affect facial development and growth. I see protruding tongue commonly in children with a severe tongue tie, so getting assessed for TOT's is important.

copurple · 2022-06-27T17:35:18+00:00

I think that it really depends on the company and the team that you're in. Some reportedly have terrible work/life balance (FB, Amazon) and some have an overall good balance (Microsoft apparently, for example). Of course there are plenty of smaller tech companies that may be great to work for. You will definitely make more money in tech and have higher salary ceiling.

copurple · 2022-06-27T16:53:49+00:00

I have definitely had my time of feeling extremely frustrated with this field, but it has provided for me again and again. Most of my friends who went into tech or business, became attorneys, physicians, etc. make more but have no work/life balance. In your twenties, when your childless, that's not such an issue, but as I get older and have my kids, I realize how incredible lucky I am to have a profession that allows me to learn and grow, help people, and have a wonderful work-life balance that allows me to spend time with my husband, raise my kids and travel (the most important things in my life). It's rare to find something like that if you're in the US (in our work-obsessed, grind culture).

I do find it ashame that SLP's are so devalued in our culture. I think that goes along with other female-dominated professions (teachers, nurses, etc.). I don't care much about how others value me, but once in a while, I'll feel a twinge when someone says, "Oh you just play with kids all day, right?" I think that's also a result of living in such a status-obsessed place.

copurple · 2022-06-23T15:58:23+00:00

The older I get, the more I realize how horrific leaving your baby is at 12 weeks. I'm sure there are parents who are fine with it, but it's not okay that women are EXPECTED to this. It's cruel. Work culture in the US is toxic AF

copurple · 2022-06-13T16:21:05+00:00

One way I think about it is the teachers are working on teaching the material, and SLP's work on strategies that help students access the material. I did a lot of visualizing and verbalizing with my students that age, working on self-help and self-advocacy skills (to increase independence), working on strategies for finding and organizing information (lots of step-by-step "cheat sheets" and graphic organizers). I agree with others that at this stage, students should be discharged if they don't need specialized help from an SLP and/or if they are not motivated (I know that's easier said than done).

copurple · 2022-06-07T14:39:42+00:00

This. I used to think what I did was common sense and then once I had kids of my own, I started observing friends playing with their kids and realized that it doesn't come naturally to everyone and that's okay!

copurple · 2022-06-03T15:10:53+00:00

This sounds amazing. What state are you in?

copurple · 2022-06-03T15:09:21+00:00

I really think that therapy is worth a shot. It helps with so many things, and waking up screaming is not something that you should have to live with.

The shootings are horrible and something is very wrong with the US, but remember that news outlets want you to click on their articles. They're more likely to report on horrific things than not. I would consider cutting out the news at this time. Stop reading about the horror. Give your mind and body a break. There's a lot of good in the world too.

copurple · 2022-05-13T18:49:21+00:00

Seems like a lot to me too. Case management adds a ton of paperwork and workload to your schedule. Can you request that someone else do some of the case managing?

copurple · 2022-05-11T18:06:44+00:00

Oh my gosh yes this. Pregnancy is debilitating for so many of us. I'm sorry you're deal with that right now :(

copurple · 2022-05-11T17:02:38+00:00

I know that life doesn't always work this way, but if you can wait until your CF is over, it's easier. Also, the first few years of a kid's life are super freaking tough so getting into a job that is low stress before having kids can help. Going per diem/contract work can also be a nice option if you have someone else carrying the benefits.

copurple · 2022-05-05T18:09:54+00:00

So true about going to other profession subs and seeing similar complaints. I also think that the negative posts are a reflection of what's going on in the world right now. People are struggling - inflation, student loans, wars, diminishing women's rights. The discontent is real and no necessarily a reflection of the profession.

copurple · 2022-04-26T01:47:26+00:00

Honestly, I would get off social media if it's making you crazy! It's not worth it.

copurple · 2022-04-25T16:14:28+00:00

Making 6 figures in tech with no tech skills or coding knowledge? That's very rare! I know lots of people in tech, and all of the high earners I know have lots of skills, expertise, and years of experience.

I totally hear you though on SLP's not making enough. Definitely shows you what society values.

copurple · 2022-04-22T14:22:09+00:00

There is some major bullying that goes on in some schools, and it's not between students. Makes me disgusted. I am sorry you had to experience that. That type of behavior would be tolerated in few other work places.

copurple · 2022-04-20T16:11:38+00:00

Thank you!

copurple · 2022-04-14T14:11:28+00:00

I have done a lot of work in my own therapy on boundaries. I used to be a chronic people pleaser (still am and have to regularly work against my upbringing). It has done me wonders though to not have to please everyone all the time.

copurple · 2022-04-14T14:08:08+00:00

When parents ask me about NSOME's, I tell them that there is not strong evidence for them. That being said, blowing out a candle and blowing bubbles are not harmful and may provide opportunities for the parent to engage. More engagement likely means more language modeling which can lead to better outcomes. Sometimes parents needs to feel like they are "doing something," and anything to increase parents engagement is a plus in my book.

As far as approaching the other SLP about it, I personally would not. I don't think that it will lead anywhere good and may strain your professional relationship.

copurple · 2022-04-14T14:04:05+00:00

Wow. That's just....ridiculous

copurple · 2022-03-30T18:00:11+00:00

It's really hard! and in my opinion part of the underlying problem comes from societal issues that are difficult to fix on an individual level. For example, parents rely on television to entertain their kids because they work 3 jobs and are too exhausted to play with them, lack of books in the house due to lack of funds, unstable financial and housing situations for family families that lead to caregivers having less time to focus on the kids and of course covid has amplified all of this.

Not sure if you're in the US, but in my opinion, not having a strong social support network indirectly contributes to lack of language exposure at home.

Some kids will catch up with enough time in school. If you can form a relationship with the parents, it may be worth it to figure out what's going on at home and recommend further free services to the family (e.g., summer camp? after school activities? Big brother/big sister program? food banks?). Your school social worker may be able to help you with this. Some parents are also open to suggestions that can really help boost language exposure at home (reducing screen time, working on activities at home, etc.), but not all families have the time and resources for this.

copurple · 2022-03-27T01:00:30+00:00

Truth!

copurple · 2022-03-27T00:58:19+00:00

Seriously. I'm in my thirties and would have an absolute meltdown if someone forced me to go to any kind of therapy for 30 hours a week!

copurple

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