A critical component of staying at the top of your game is looking after your health. Many people consistently pour their time and money into maintaining their appearance and gut health. One area that is often overlooked and taken for granted is your speech and hearing, as most are not really concerned about this until there is something wrong.
Imagine not being able to communicate clearly with others in your field and what a hurdle that would be to overcome. Now, you see the need to look after your hearing and speech, and the one way you can do this is by consulting a speech-language pathologist (SLP), otherwise known as a speech therapist.
You may not think that you need to right now, but in this article, we’ll provide you with seven advantages of going to speech therapy, and you don’t need a formal diagnosis to see one.
What does a speech therapist do?
Speech therapists are professionals who are trained to evaluate and treat a range of different speech and language disorders. Speech and language therapy works on improving the production of verbal output and the words people use by addressing the following:
- How people produce different sounds
- The use of appropriate intonation
- Volume control
What to expect at speech therapy
Speech therapy commences similarly to most therapy sessions, but the focus will be on your speech, hearing and communication skills. Here’s what you can expect when attending speech therapy sessions:
- Introduction – during the first session, regardless of whether it’s in-person or online, the speech pathologist will introduce themself to you and ask you to do the same, and also ask you to explain what you’ve been experiencing
- Evaluation – next, the speech pathologist will perform a variety of different tests to evaluate your speech, hearing and language usage to determine what the issue is
- Treatment – once the speech pathologist has performed the necessary evaluation, they will move on to providing you with a treatment plan to help you reach your goals
If you’re looking for a professional speech pathologist, you can find one at Hear & Say right here!
What are the advantages of speech therapy for adults?
Attending speech therapy comes with a range of benefits, and you don’t even need to have a formal referral, which is generally not required for you to start sessions. Here are some of the most advantageous benefits people tend to experience when working with a speech pathologist:
1.   Helps you communicate effectively
Effective communication involves so many facets that go far beyond what you say. Seeing a speech therapist will help you improve your verbal output through better articulation and understand different language concepts, social cues, intonation, and more.
2.   Improves confidence and reduces anxiety
Many people dread social settings, especially those requiring you to give a speech because they are not confident speaking. It could be due to a stutter or a lack of vocabulary. It’s enough to make anyone anxious; some may avoid social interactions altogether because of their speech or language impediment.
One thing is for sure: confidence and the ability to communicate, even in an informal setting, are crucial for success. Working with a speech therapist to improve your ability to communicate effectively can work wonders for a person’s confidence. Knowing you can portray your thoughts and feelings in a way that people can understand is an instant confidence boost. It reduces your feelings of anxiety when facing various social settings.
3.   It helps you to convey emotions better
Another way adults can benefit from seeing a speech pathologist is that these sessions can help you convey your emotions better. Being able to relate and communicate how you’re feeling is critical for all relationships, professional and personal. So many disagreements are caused purely by miscommunication or misunderstanding of sorts. Speech therapy can help you to convey your emotions better so that people can understand how you’re feeling, and nothing is left up purely to interpretation.
4.   Improves your overall quality of life
Never underestimate how communication can improve your life. Once you know how to communicate effectively with others and can relay your aspirations, plans, thoughts, and feelings, you’ll see a shift in the overall quality of your life.
5.   Helps with accent modification
Speech therapy is especially advantageous for those whose primary language is not English. English is the universal business language, and being able to communicate well in it can open up a lot of opportunities. In the corporate world, many treat people who cannot speak English with contempt, so to make a good impression, you need to be able to speak the language well.
Many ESL (English as a second language) students face the challenge of acquiring an intelligible English accent, as the intonations and articulation can be incredibly challenging to grasp. Attending speech therapy sessions can help ESL students modify their accents to speak the language better.
6.   It may improve memory and problem-solving skills
Another advantage of speech therapy is that the techniques and strategies used throughout most sessions can also help improve your memory and problem-solving abilities. Therefore, seeing an SLP can be very beneficial for those with dementia.
Final Thoughts
While speech therapy is incredibly beneficial when attended from a young age, there really isn’t an age limit on who it may benefit. Considering all the advantages of speech therapy, not just for your general well-being but for your professional life, why not seek out a professional speech pathologist and see how you can improve your life?
