Nova Quinn, CCC-SLP, began hearing about teletherapy while attending graduate school in San Francisco. She moved to Providence, Rhode Island after graduation in 2012 and started working in a public school five days a week. She was really interested in trying out teletherapy.  Because she finished her public school days early at 2 pm Eastern time, she realized she could come home from her onsite therapy, open her computer, and pick up a caseload in Washington or California, to test the teletherapy waters. And it was great. She loved it. Then she got pregnant. When she had her son and was on maternity leave, the public school didn’t have any flexibility—they needed her full time or not at all. Nova made the leap to PresenceLearning in 2017. Could you walk us through your daily routine? A “day in the life of a PL therapist” if you will? I wake up in the morning at my home in Rhode Island and have breakfast and coffee with my one-year-old as my husband gets ready and heads out to work. On the two days that I work with PresenceLearning, I spend the morning playing, going for a walk, doing yoga, or squeezing in…

This month we spoke with Kristin Martinez, M.A., CCC-SLP, a clinical quality manager with PresenceLearning, to discuss what to expect, how to prepare, and how to navigate compliance issues for SLPs, OTs, and MHPs who might be considering a move to teletherapy. Let’s start at the beginning. What does a provider need to consider initially when preparing to practice in a new state via teletherapy? Of course the first consideration is adherence to any state licensure requirements. Depending on the state, this might include a state-issued license from each discipline’s governing body, but might also include a Department of Education license if you are providing teletherapy services in school-based settings. State license applications commonly require additional background checks in addition to letters of verification from the licensing bodies in any other states where you already hold a license. Also be aware that some states require a business registry/license if you are practicing as a telepractioner. What guidelines would you advise providers to research first? Educate yourself on your discipline’s national association best practice guidelines related to teletherapy (e.g., ASHA, AOTA, APA), and then start researching state regulations for any states where you have or are considering cross-licensure. In addition, it…

Gila Cohen-Shaw, M.A, CCC-SLP, PC, has worked with children as a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years in a wide range of settings and roles. She took the leap into teletherapy seven years ago and has not looked back. Today, Gila works as a Lead Clinician at PresenceLearning—she works with small, medium, and large school districts, and does individual therapy sessions as well. We sat down with Gila to talk about her work as a teletherapist. Could you walk us through your daily routine? Some of my day is routine, but mostly it’s pretty non-routine. I think I spend most of my day expecting the unexpected. Here’s the routine part: once I have my coffee or tea, I open up all the tabs and websites I use, and I open my Room. Then I open up the provider community portal, The Lounge, and respond to help with engagement and to share knowledge. Then I go through my emails. Each email generates a task—add a student, remove one, find a solution to a problem, answer a question. My goal is to clear my inbox (I don’t always achieve it). I might attend an IEP because I’m responsible for the case management for those…

Rachel Morris, OT, is an occupational therapist with PresenceLearning. Rachel started her OT career in 1990 and started with PL as an OT provider in 2013.   January is a great time to set goals for taking good care of our bodies. Because teletherapists have unique challenges with the physical demands of sitting in front of computer screens, we reached out to occupational therapist, Rachel Morris, for her strategies for paying attention to physical well-being and keeping a healthy and happy body. Let’s talk a little about routines you use to take care of your body while working. Will you share with us how your morning starts? Do you have any warm-up exercises you do before you sit down at your computer to meet with students? Ideally, stretching is best to do in the morning. I also recommend doing a little planking for core strength (The Plank is a yoga/pilates pose—you can learn more about it here.) Have a glass of water available and gather all of the materials you’ll need for your work at your desk before starting the day. Can you talk a little about scheduling and how you can fit in regular breaks to get up from…

Bringing Cultural Sensitivity to Winter Holidays Kristin Martinez, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and clinical quality manager with PresenceLearning. Kristin started her career in 2000 working as an onsite SLP in her local community of Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2013, Kristin expanded her practice to teletherapy. As a CQM, Kristin has the opportunity to work with clinicians as well as district staff to support clinical teletherapy services in districts across several states. As we approach the beginning of winter, we wanted to reach out to Kristin for some advice on what she has learned over her years of practice about how to create a respectful, inclusive approach to holidays with students, their families, and school staff. In this month’s interview, she shares some ideas. How can practitioners bring celebration into their work with students at this time of year while avoiding a focus on any particular religious holiday to the exclusion of others? All holidays should be a time when we are particularly sensitive to the various cultural, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the children and families we serve. However, working as teletherapists brings an even greater level of responsibility—while we might consider ourselves attuned to traditions of…

Kristin Martinez, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and clinical quality manager with PresenceLearning. Kristin started her career in 2000 working as an onsite SLP in her local community of Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2013, Kristin expanded her practice to teletherapy. In her role, Kristin has the opportunity to work with clinicians as well as district staff to support clinical teletherapy services in districts across several states. As a follow-on article to last month’s feature, “Best Practices for Setting Up a Home Teletherapy Office,” we connected with Kristin this month for advice on managing the challenges associated with working out of a home office (distractions with kids and pets, cleaning sounds, etc.). In this month’s interview, Kristin offers best practices for creating work-life balance. What was the biggest adjustment you had to make when you transitioned from working onsite to working in a home office? I found the most significant adjustment was that I had to take greater initiative to connect with my colleagues as I wouldn’t be “running into” anyone during staff meetings, in the teachers’ lounge, etc. While I valued the autonomy of working from home, I realized that I needed to ensure that I was taking advantage of opportunities…

Kristin Martinez, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Quality Manager with PresenceLearning. Kristin started her career in 2000 working as an onsite SLP in her local community of Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2013, Kristin expanded her practice to teletherapy and has never looked back. We reached out to her this month for advice and best practices on setting up your teletherapy office. First, let’s talk about how to set up a teletherapy home office to create a welcoming and engaging environment for the students, parents, and school staff you work with. What are the key elements therapists need to consider in setting up their workspace—from the student perspective? The primary focus needs to be on creating the best possible visual and auditory environment for both the clinician and the student. Working in a private, quiet space with good lighting is essential. Make sure that you are selecting a space that minimizes any potential background noise and that maximizes light. Experiment with lighting: If possible, avoid bright sunlit windows right behind you. If you must have a window behind, you’ll need to light your face from in front to balance the brightness behind you. Try bouncing light off the ceiling to brighten…

Clinical Quality Manager Kristin Martinez, CCC-SLP, offers tips for building rapport with teachers, parents, and caregivers in order to ensure students reach their full potential. Read the interview below for best practices to start the school year off right. After you’ve made your initial introductions, how do you build lasting relationships with school staff members and parents/caregivers? Make it clear that you want to be an active member of the child’s and school’s team, and that you are invested in your students’ success both in the classroom and at home! Parents and teachers have a lot on their plates, in addition to the fact that they might not always fully understand the role of related care providers and how we can support students’ needs. It is important that the therapist take the initiative to learn about students’ strengths and needs in the classroom and home settings, and to continually and consistently reach out with ideas, practice materials, and support. What recommendations do you have for other therapists who are struggling to make connections with parents/caregivers? Reach out with good news! Parents and caregivers get to hear quite a bit about their childrens’ struggles and areas of need, but how often…

Clinical Quality Manager Karin H. Koukeyan, CCC-SLP, offers best practices for making school introductions, building rapport, and becoming a team member your school contacts can rely on. Read the full interview with questions and answers designed to help you prepare for the new school year. Q: If you’re new to a school district, how do you go about making introductions when you work remotely? A: It’s always best to start with an introductory letter that can be emailed to school staff. Be sure to include information about your professional background along with some fun personal facts and a photo to add a personal touch. Since you won’t be meeting in person, you should seize the opportunity for school staff to get to know you. Q: Any tips for making a good first impression? A: Be the first one to reach out to establish expectation for communication with the school. Set the tone for how you would like to collaborate during the school year. A common misconception is that you might over step by reaching out through multiple modalities, but as a remote contractor, it’s always best practice to over-communicate. Q: What are some best practices for reconnecting with your school…

By Karin H. Koukeyan, CCC-SLP Are you looking for ways to improve your students’ engagement in preparation for fall? Start planning your sessions now to ensure a smooth start to the school year, and think about ways to meet students where they are, as digital natives, by incorporating 21st century techniques into your lesson plans. Clinical Quality Manager, Karin Koukeyan, CCC-SLP, answered a few common questions on the subject of technology & therapy: Q: What advice can you give therapists who are looking to prepare for fall and want new resources to engage students? A: Remember to always focus on your students’ unique needs. Service delivery via telepractice should not limit your ability to work with students of all ages and choosing age-appropriate materials should always be a priority. Similar to onsite therapy, games can enrich the therapy experience and make drills more motivating. There are many interactive websites that provide free online games that can be played with students through platforms which allow screen sharing. Q: How can you incorporate 21st century learning techniques into your therapy (even if you don’t work online)? A: When one thinks of 21st century learning techniques, the use of technology always comes to…