Image of Lisa Young, author of Eat, Speak, & Think

About

Check out my interview on FOXcast SLP about why I started Eat, Speak, & Think. In my 2018 interview with Speech Pathology Master’s Programs, I talked more about the challenges and benefits of working in home health. And in my 2022 interview with Noala, I share one of my favorite patient success stories.

Why I created this website

While I love being a speech-language pathologist (SLP), I nearly burned out several years ago. I had two major problems:

  • Trying to handle a heavy workload.
  • Frustration that I couldn’t do more to help people.

I often meet people who have been living with unnecessary problems for years, for example:

  • They think it’s part of natural aging.
  • Their doctor isn’t aware that therapy could help.
  • They don’t know that making changes around the home could help.
  • More therapy could help make a difference, but insurance won’t pay.
  • They feel alone and overwhelmed, and aren’t aware of local and online resources.

I’ve spent the past several years working hard to improve my services while reducing my workload, by working smarter. I have a better work-life balance, and I feel like I’m helping my patients more.

It’s not enough for me to simply work on improving my own practice. I feel driven to share what I’m learning with other clinicians as well as the general public.

For professionals working in the medical field

My goals are:

  • To share useful tips and resources for how to succeed in home health.
  • To share useful tips and resources to help your patients.

For non-professionals

My goal is to share practical information to help solve daily challenges if you have problems with:

  • swallowing (eating and drinking).
  • communication (spoken or written language).
  • cognition (thinking/memory).

I’m also hoping you will learn more about:

  • what speech-language pathologists do.
  • current best practice.

As the saying goes, knowledge is power and puts you in a better position:

  • to advocate for yourself or your loved one.
  • to improve informed decisions about his or her care.

My education

I have a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of California, San Diego.

I love to learn new things. So far, I have earned five ASHA ACE awards. I earned each award by completing 70 hours of continuing education within a three-year period. SLP’s are only required to earn 30 hours within each three-year period to maintain our Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC).

My work experience

I’ve been working as a licensed SLP since 2008, including in home health since 2014.

Prior to that, I worked in a wide variety of settings, often at the same time. These settings include:

  • Private practice (someone else’s)
  • School systems
  • Acute care
  • Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation
  • Inpatient geriatric psych acute care
  • Skilled nursing and dementia care
  • Hospice.

My skills for working with adults

I have extensive experience working with people who have problems with:

  • Swallowing
  • Speech production
  • Understanding or using spoken or written language
  • Voice
  • Cognitive-communication skills.

I’ve learned a wide variety of assessment and treatment approaches, and I’m constantly learning more.

I was a certified LSVT LOUD therapist for people with Parkinson’s disease for a number of years, but now I’m certified in SPEAK OUT! I also completed the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP) for people with swallowing problems.

Before I moved to home health & hospice, I performed endoscopy for swallow assessments (FEES or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of the swallow).

I completed a course at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare to become a Spinal Cord Injury Specialist.

Over the years, I have given numerous presentations on LSVT LOUD, swallowing, and cognitive-communication issues to support groups, colleagues, physicians, and the general community.

I have some geeky research knowledge

I slogged my way through several statistics courses, assisted with various research projects at three institutions, and even conducted my own research.

Out of that research, I managed to co-author and publish one research paper, which was quite a learning experience. And I’ve given a number of presentations on the research I was involved in.

I am NOT offering medical or treatment advice

The information on this website is not meant to be medical or treatment advice. If you have any concerns about your swallowing, communication, or cognitive skills, you should report them to your doctor and request an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist. Read more in the Terms and Conditions.

Subscribe to my newsletter

I send out EST Updates email newsletter the first and third Monday of each month. In my newsletter, you can find:

  • A new or archived blog post.
  • A new PDF resource (or one from the archive).
  • A relevant resource from someone who differs from me.
  • A couple of other online resources I think you would find interesting or helpful.

I’ll also send out the occasional email with important announcements, such as changes to the privacy policy.

You’ll have to confirm your subscription by clicking on a link sent to your email, because no one likes spam.

Newsletter subscribers have free access to the Free Subscription Library, where you can find all of my free downloadable resources on a single page.

I would love to hear your questions or suggestions

Please leave a comment on any post or contact me with any questions or suggestions. My goal is to make this website as useful and practical as possible.

Thanks for reading!

Lisa A Young, M.A., CCC-SLP