Communication Foundations for SLPA Supervision

Course overview

Increasingly, speech-language pathologists are supervising speech-language pathology assistants. The issues, competencies, and skills needed for a successful long-term supervisor/supervisee relationship are different from those required for supervision of students and clinical fellowships. SLPs working with SLPAs need exceptional communication skills to ensure that the SLPA asks questions, communicates concerns, offers input, and openly receives feedback. This course will introduce two important factors in maintaining a successful long-term supervisor/supervisee relationship: psychological safety and receiving feedback. Course participants will learn what psychological safety is and how to ensure its presence in the SLP/SLPA team. The presenter will describe potential obstacles to receiving feedback and provide strategies for reducing their effect on the SLPA's acceptance of feedback.