The Speechless SLP: Recent Episodes

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In this last episode in the Speechless SLP series with Vanessa Abraham, she speaks about different steps she has taken and still is, to get back to her old life, and where she’s thinking her experience of being speechless may lead in the future. You’ll hear how she has tried various natural therapies and remedies to help her recovery, taken CEUs to improve her knowledge, how she deals with PTSD, and her suggestions for resources and materials SLPs can create for patients and their families.

Discussion & Reflection Question

1. 1. Have you explored Continuing Education Units on other SLP topics simply because you are curious to learn more about them?
   2. If you’re recovering or healing from an illness yourself, have you thought about other types of remedies or natural therapies to help with your recovery?
   3. Do you work with clients/patients who may experience PTSD symptoms from their healthcare experiences? How can you help them with any triggers?
   4. Are there resources and materials you can create or contribute to, with visuals, to explain to patients/clients and their families some of the SLP terms that they may need an everyday understanding of?
   5. As Vanessa says, she has found it therapeutic and healing to share her story with others. Think about ways you can help others, or yourself, express their experiences to help with being well.

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

“Curiosity gets me sometimes. I'll see CEU courses offered, and I'll think, “Wow, I want to learn more about that”. As a school-based SLP, I don't deal with vocal cord issues, all of that stuff. I'm more intrigued and fascinated by those classes. I can relate to them now. I know how that feels. I’ve lived that.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“As the SLP who is asking the patient to do something, really work hard on that trust, and then come in at the level that the patient is at. With yourself, work on trusting yourself. Listen to that inner voice and follow that inner voice. Learn to trust yourself and give yourself grace.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP.

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

Have you ever heard a direct perspective of what it’s like to be in an ICU bed, speechless, and then getting a Passy Muir valve?

In this episode in the Speechless SLP series, Vanessa Abraham talks specifically about how this affected her mental health. Based on her experiences, she talks about how SLPs can help patients, and their families, tend to the invisible emotional and psychological scars that nobody can see

Discussion & Reflection Question

1. 1. How can you remind your patients/clients of their progress to give them a boost during low times? Can you keep a diary for them to see at a later date? Are they able to start one?
   2. If you have concerns about a client or patient’s mental health, who else in the care team can you flag it with?
   3. If you’re working with a patient or client experiencing frustration with using communication aids to ask questions, how can you help to ease their stress?
   4. What are the different ways you can educate patients and their families about treatments and processes? Can you use a combination of visual and verbal methods to suit different learning styles?
   5. Where do you think you draw your own coping and resilience skills from for the tough stuff in life?

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

“Know that depression and anxiety is real, and that it’s not something to be taken lightly. I don't think that area is discussed enough. Prepare the family members of what the transition is going to look like, and this is what they might experience.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“It’s working collaboratively, having a positive approach, and understanding that people do come from different backgrounds, and bring different challenges, whether we see them or not. The mental wellness scars are the scars we cannot see, and I don't know of anybody who's been through a fairytale life without bumps and bruises and scars.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP.

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

In this episode in the Speechless SLP series with Vanessa Abraham, we meet one of the first people to take care of her in the ICU, Shannon Cotton, RN. Care being the operative word, Shannon walks her talk. Shannon shares how she navigated and planned appropriate communication with Vanessa while she was speechless, the important role that SLPs working in ICUs play, and her suggestions for SLPs working with patients and their families.

Discussion & Reflection Question

1. What tactics can you use personally to ensure you remain patient and give patients/clients enough time to respond and communicate to you?
2. How physically distanced are you from your clients/patients when you interact with them? Would they find it reassuring if you can safely and appropriately be closer to them and on their own level?
3. Are you working in a setting where it’s okay to provide reassuring physical contact and touch to your patients/clients?
4. How are your observational skills? Are you good at picking up little signs and signals that may give further insight into how someone is?
5. Do you interact with family members/caregivers who can let you know if a patient/client is displaying symptoms, body language, or other characteristics outside of their norm?

“You're constantly interviewing and triaging, but it's important to let the patient speak as well and to give that person time, especially in the ICU. Think of the whole person. Give that person time to react to your questions and to your interview because they do have something to say, even if they can't talk.”

• Shannon Cotton

Shannon Cotton, RN

Shannon Cotton has been a nurse for 15 years, with most of her time spent in critical care. She loves the challenge of caring for the sickest of the sick, and watching them heal. Shannon is passionate about learning and teaching, and is a PhD student at UC Irvine. Shannon currently lives in San Diego, CA, and spends most of her free time outdoors, at a beach or tasting a new beer from a local brewery.

Contact Shannon Cotton:

shannonacotton@gmail.com

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

Be patient with patients. Let them get their words out. Give them time and let them process their emotions. Let them take their time to get their words out because a lot have a lot to say, and a lot of questions. Don't stand eight feet away. That proximity, I think, lessens the patient's fears and anxiety.

• Vanessa Abraham

Hold on to that hope that what you are doing as a speech pathologist is making a difference whatever setting you're in. You may have somebody who can't say their gratitude back, or whatever is holding them back, but you are making a difference.

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

To say that today’s guest, Laura Davis, is dedicated and passionate about her career as an ICU nurse and the people and community she serves would be an understatement!

In this episode, the tenth in the Speechless series with Vanessa Abraham, Laura shares her experiences being on the nightshift with Vanessa as a patient, awake and unable to speak. Laura also talks about how ICU nursing staff works with Speech, PT, and OTs and has some great advice for working as a team with other health professionals.

Discussion & Reflection Question

1. Do you know how to get help if you are with a client/patient and they have a medical emergency?
2. How can you improve communication with the other professionals involved in the care of your patient/client, and how do you all contribute to the person's care?
3. Who else do you, or can you, ask or check in with for another perspective of how your patient or client may be physically or emotionally before you see them?
4. Are there suggestions you might have for nursing and other health professionals to help with nonverbal communication with their patients?
5. How can you empower your clients/patients by providing them with choices and options they can decide on for communication and treatment?

“Definitely collaborate with everybody, all other team members, because there may be something else going on that we don't know, they're one part of it, but they're also a huge part of it. Communicate with their nurse first about how they’ve been. Do you know how to call for help in an emergency? Know your resources.”

• Laura Davis

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

“Keep that communication going. The nurses have so much valuable input. They are there 12 hours a day with the patient. I was fortunately unfortunate to be able to see that relationship between SLPs and nurses unfold, and it was really fascinating for me to see that relationship and see them collaborating with each other, and I thought it was just really remarkable what they did as a team for me.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“In my training, when we go up on a medical floor, the first place we go after the chart review is to talk to the nurse. That nurse just puts the finishing touches on everything, and that communication is just so important as part of the team.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

A pivotal role when a parent with young children suddenly becomes critically ill is who is going to look after the kids. In this episode of the Speechless SLP with Vanessa Abraham, we hear from her mom, Pam, on what it was like to have a daughter needing hospital care, and a young granddaughter needing to be looked after as well.

Discussion & Reflection Question

1. Do you welcome caregivers and support people in your environment and help them understand your patient or client’s particular needs and situations?
2. What are some of the medical and technological terms you use that could be broken down into simple language for your patient or client’s non-medical support people to understand?
3. Are there ways you can help and encourage caregivers and support people to take a break and look after themselves too?
4. How much do you know about the different options for healthcare and different facilities people may have under their insurance?
5. If you were to find yourself in need of care would you want to be close to home?

At the local hospital, she was pointing at words. She would say to me at the very beginning to go home, take my baby, and go home.

When she was [later] at the local hospital for rehab, we were down there every day. We took her daughter with us, and that was a very positive thing for her daughter and, I think, Vanessa, to have us close. I think that was important.

• Pam

Pam

Pam is a wife and mother to three adult children. Her life was flipped upside down when Vanessa, her daughter, became sick in the ICU and was unable to care for her child on any level.

Pam and her husband Allen rose to the challenge by not only helping Vanessa drive to medical appointments but provided a safe and loving home for her child to live during the most challenging and scary time of Vanessa's life.

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

“It certainly takes a village, and not just one person in a village. That village it's got to be pretty strong, and pretty deep, because everybody needs breaks and it takes a lot of people to care for one person.”

• Vanessa Abraham

People use a lot of approaches when presented with overwhelming information – denying, minimizing, rationalizing, and hitting pause are very legitimate ways to handle emotions and the information. If we have a care support person who is maybe not active in technology and medical terminology, simplify things.

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

Whatever setting you work in, having an understanding of the various skills, and approach to care, of allied disciplines is important. In this eighth episode of the Speechless SLP series, Vanessa Abraham and I talk with the two Physical Therapists involved in her ICU care.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. How can you find out what your patient or client’s motivators are to help with their recovery?

2. How can members of your health team communicate, collaborate, and build rapport with family members who want to be involved in the care of the patient?

3. Are there ways you can make treatment less scary for children to understand and/or witness?

4. In what ways can you collaborate and communicate with other professionals or the wider team involved in the care of your patient or client?

5. How much do you understand about the goals of other disciplines involved with your patients or clients?

6. How can you find out what your patient or client’s motivators are to help with their recovery?

“I think what's most important in an ICU setting, especially if there's family involved, is figuring out what their goals are, because I think there's a lot of emotions going on when you're a patient in the ICU. If we can make it functional, then I think we've done a good job if we start with that.”

• Jess O’Brien

“I think that with all the craziness that's happening in the ICU, as therapists our role is a really special one because we can refocus things into function and meaningful tasks and life outside of the hospital. It’s hard when you're just in the midst of it, but I think we have a really special role in that.” - Tara Kharrazian

Jess O’Brien, PT, DPT, CSRS

Jess O’Brien is a Physical Therapist, mom to two tiny humans and two doggies, military spouse, and ranch dressing enthusiast.

Jess has been a PT for eight years, six of which have been at UC San Diego. She became a PT because she was fascinated with human anatomy and really intrigued at how our bodies move, adapt, and heal. She is really passionate about ICU rehab and the importance of early mobility in critical care medicine.

When she’s not in her scrubs at the hospital, she’s usually out and about exploring San Diego with her 2-year-old girl and brand new 4-month-old baby boy. Her husband is a Navy helicopter pilot and she is so proud of him every day. The Navy has blessed them with a home base of San Diego for the last seven years. Jess loves to swim, hike, travel, and consume a lot of Hidden Valley ranch dressing.

Contact Jessica O’Brien

jmobrien@health.ucsd.edu

Tara Kharrazian, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist II

Tara is from the DC metropolitan area, graduating from Virginia Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management and International Business. She switched gears and pursued physical therapy, receiving her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Old Dominion University. AHer role as a graduate teaching assistant sparked her interest in mentorship and teaching, leading her to become an APTA Certified Clinical Instructor. During her physical therapy career, she has worked at Trauma Level 1 hospitals and inpatient rehab centers in Virginia and California, treating patients with various neurological and traumatic disorders. Tara's main areas of interest are traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation and is currently a member of the Spinal Cord Committee at UCSD hospital. Tara loves what she does and hopes to continue to see growth in and support for the field of physical therapy. Outside of the hospital, Tara enjoys everything San Diego has to offer but also loves a good night in.

Contact Tara Kharrazian

tkharrazian@ucsd.edu

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abraham vabraham14@gmail.com

“It's always important for me to continue to show my gratitude towards everyone that did so much for my entire family. Sometimes you go home thinking did I do enough? Am I enough? Am I appreciated? I always wanted to make sure my team knew how much I appreciated everything that they did, and still do.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“We can all picture ourselves in Vanessa's position – the woman, the mother, the wife. We see everybody in the wholeness, we try to incorporate all of that.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSC Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

It can be a daunting prospect for any health professional to have to treat a member of their own profession. In this episode, we hear from two SLPs, Danielle Torrez and Sherry Ewing. They talk about how they manage their respective roles in acute care and outpatient settings with Vanessa Abraham.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. Working with colleagues or friends who may become patients or clients can be tricky in terms of privacy confidentiality. How can you manage your relationship with them and others when you communicate to ensure you adhere to HIPAA?
2. How do you balance “productivity” requirements in your workplace with ensuring you meet your patient’s needs?
3. What is your approach to having a patient’s family members present in the room?
4. Are any of the downloadable online apps helpful to use with your patients/clients?
5. How can you advocate with other health professionals for resources, tools, and services that your patients/clients may need?

“Make sure that you're putting your best foot forward and try your best to not let emotions get in the way. Look from a patient perspective so that you’re not missing anything, but also be able to keep it clinical and professional.”

• Danielle Torrez

“With all patients it's always important that connection that you establish on day one. I call it the “buy-in” to the situation and the therapy. If you don't have that connection, I don't think you're going to establish trust.”

• Sherry Ewing

Danielle Torrez, MA, CCC-SLP

Danielle Torrez began practicing as an SLP in 2015. She has spent most of her time working in acute care, and has made it a point to also gain experience in acute rehab, outpatient and SNF settings, but her true passion is acute care. She currently holds a full time inpatient position at UC San Diego Health. She has a particular interest in dysphagia management, burn rehabilitation, and trach/vent management. Danielle lives in sunny San Diego, CA, and has a lovely retriever mixed rescue dog named Libby. In her spare time, you’ll find her at the beach, on a hiking trail, or spending quality time with her other half, Jason or family/friends.

Contact: dtorrez@health.ucsd.edu

Sherry Ewing, MS, CCC/SLP

Sherry Ewing has been a speech, language pathologist since 1995. She received her Master's of Science degree at Loma Linda University in Southern California. She has been a medical SLP for her entire career. She works at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, CA in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. She especially enjoys treating head and neck cancer patients as well as dysphagia in general. She lives in Palm Springs CA with her husband and two dogs. When she's not working, she fills her time with hiking and pilates. Being a speech language pathologist has been a true joy in her life.

Contact: sewing@eisenhowerhealth.org

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abrahamvabraham14@gmail.com

“It gave me great comfort knowing that Danielle and Sherry both knew various people in my little circle of SLPs. Looking back, it gives me comfort knowing that there was communication within HIPAA guidelines – appropriate communication. “

• Vanessa Abraham

“Come in at the patient's level, involve family members, as much as you can, involve the patient’s input, be positive, empower them with tools and activities, education, visual, repetitive, clear and straightforward.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSCMedical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

You’ve all heard the vow, in sickness and in health. As health professionals, we very often meet and interact with a significant other or close family member right alongside our patients or clients, especially if they are speechless.

In this sixth episode in the Speechless SLP series, we hear Dale Abraham’s bedside perspective of what it was like when Vanessa suddenly became ill and hospitalized, right through to challenges in care facilities. Hear how he advocated for her recovery, even when he was not allowed to be at her side.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. If you interact with a partner or family member in a position of having to be the “voice” and make medical decisions for their loved one, how can you help them understand what is going on?
2. How’s your delivery of “bad” news? Remember, it’s often not what is said, but how it is said. Think of ways you can improve your communication.
3. If you have a patient/client frustrated with being unable to communicate, how can you reassure them and their family it is not their fault.
4. Are you inclusive when you’re interacting with a patient/client’s family members? Are they made to feel like a part of the team?
5. Imagine what it would be like if you had to stop work unexpectedly to make medical decisions and be a caregiver for someone else in your life, and how you might manage this situation.

“Be patient, be aware, be involved, and be respectful of all the health professionals. You have to ask questions in a very nice, very respectful, polite way, but at the same time, don't just take their word on everything. Do your own research, and become knowledgeable in whatever is going on so that you can make informed decisions.”

• Dale Abraham

Dale AbrahamDale and Vanessa met nearly 20 years ago in Palm Desert, CA.

Dale is a PGA Certified and TOP 100 Golf Digest Golf Instructor. Besides being an avid golfer, he enjoys fishing, going to the beach, and working out in his free time.

Having no prior medical experience, Dale quickly had to learn the basics of tube feeding and therapy appointments in addition to navigating the unfamiliar territory that comes with a critical illness.

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abrahamvabraham14@gmail.com

“Human contact is huge. Holding their hand, being the sunshine for them, and being encouraging. That person can't talk or ask questions, and they are terrified beyond belief. That somebody that comes in your room and smiles and holds you, or comforts you, or makes you feel human.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“We don’t have to accept the fact that things have to stay the way they are. Advocate for our profession. Advocate for those we work with. Step forward to make a change, and believe we can make a change.”

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSCMedical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

When you have a medical crisis, it is not just medical professionals and family that may help you pull through – your personal and professional friendships and connections may come to the fore in surprisingly helpful ways (or not)!

In this fifth episode of the Speechless SLP series, Vanessa Abraham, and Ashley Reed, SLP, talk about the value of friendship. Hear how Ashely was able to contribute to Vanessa's care, support her family, and her eventual return to work.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever worked with a colleague returning to work after a serious illness or significant life-changing event? How could you help them ease back into it?
2. If you personally know someone needing the services of an SLP, how can you use your knowledge and expertise to support them and their families within professional and ethical boundaries?
3. How can you be a “friend” to your patients and clients, and help them and their families as much as you can within your role?
4. How comfortable are you with being in the presence of other people crying? Can you simply be present with someone by their side while they let it all out?

“Don't be afraid to be silent but be present. Just your presence alone goes a long way. Really validate [a person’s] feelings.”

• Ashley Reed

Ashley Reed, MS., CCC-SLP

Ashley Reed is a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of California with a background in acute care, public education, and private practice.

Ashley is published in APTA and is working on a second publication in the area of ethical considerations and the use of Zoom for SLPs. She is expected to earn her SLPD in December 2022, and is studying the effects of increased modeling during routine based activities in late talkers. Ashley has experience in supervision and leadership. She recently moved to San Diego, CA with her husband and two children.

Contact Ashley Reed

livehealthyfeelbeautiful@gmail.com

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abrahamvabraham14@gmail.com

“ ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’. I had a great team. As awful as this whole journey was, I’m glad I had the expertise and knowledge of speech pathology. It was comforting to my husband to know ‘Okay, I've got Ashley's number. She understands the system’. We had people to rely on, and that is just huge”.

• Vanessa Abraham

“What's the best thing about these podcasts? It's meeting people like you who have these lives, and these passions. They feel, they love, they care and they give. “

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSCMedical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

View Details

Download the show notes and full transcript of the conversation.

Post Intensive Care Syndrome, or PICS, may be relatively new as a formal diagnosis, however it is a very real condition patients and/or their family may experience after spending time in ICU. In episode four of The Speechless SLP series, Anna Lewis, Clinical Social Worker, talks about what PICs is and types of care during and after critical illnesses that can help with recovery. Vanessa Abraham speaks about dealing with her symptoms after her time in ICU, and the benefits of her participation in a PICS support group.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. How might the different approaches of an interdisciplinary team help your clients/patients?
2. If your patients/clients may not be able to cognitively process treatment at the time, is there a way you can document their care to give to them and/or their families to help them understand later?
3. How would your clients/patients' quality of life benefit from various forms of palliative care as part of their treatment?

Keep the Conversation GoingDo you want to know more about Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICs)? Below are some of the organizations and groups Anna recommended in this podcast.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine https://www.sccm.org/MyICUCare/THRIVE/Post-intensive-Care-Syndrome

The Critical and Acute Illness Recovery Organization (CAIRO)https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/cairo/about-us

CAIRO on Twitter @CAIROrghttps://twitter.com/cairorg

“For patients with PICS, my best advice is find your community. Find your people that are going to remind you that you're not alone. For family members, believe your loved one about what they're experiencing, and when they say that it's real, it's real.”

• Anna Lewis

Anna Lewis, MSW, LCSW

Anna Lewis (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. As a graduate student researcher, Anna’s work focuses on Medicaid beneficiaries and the effects of permanent supportive housing.

Prior to returning to graduate school, Anna worked as a senior social worker at the Critical Illness Recovery Center at UPMC Mercy, one of the most comprehensive outpatient follow-up clinics for survivors of prolonged intensive care unit stays in the nation. Anna also worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker for several years. Anna received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University in 2010. She attained her Master of Social Work degree with a certificate in mental health in 2012 from the University of Pittsburgh, and she is also a licensed clinical social worker.

Anna lives in Pittsburgh with her husband Sean, five-year-old son Sam, and dog Nittany.

Contact Anna Lewis: Email: lewisa5@upmc.edu Twitter: @AnnaLewis312

Vanessa Abraham,

MS, CCC-SLP

Vanessa is a wife, mother and school based Speech-Language Pathologist.

She learned firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end of speech services after experiencing a sudden-onset critical illness that left her with limb and neck paralysis as well as a PEG tube and tracheotomy.

She was thrown into the rehabilitation world after being an independent, healthy and vibrant young mother. Through many swallow studies, voice therapy, OT and PT, she had to learn to eat, talk and move again.

Her goal now is to help people critically ill patients cope with the grief they experience after a critical illness through speaking up about the topic of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), depression and anxiety post ICU in addition to educating families and patients about the various rehab modalities that have been successful for her.

Contact Vanessa Abrahamvabraham14@gmail.com

“You need to be able to heal your mind to heal your body. Your head needs to be in the right place. I've done so many things for mental health. But the PICS group, being around other PICS survivors, hearing their stories, has helped me more than anything. Just knowing that I'm not alone. It makes me feel whole again. It makes me feel normal, in a way.”

• Vanessa Abraham

“One of the reasons why I do this podcast is to learn about approaches like this, in teams like this, and work that other people are doing that we can share and learn and integrate.

• Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Mattie Murrey Tegel, MA, CCC-SLP, L, CPC, CLSCMedical Speech-Language Pathologist and Founder of Fresh SLP

Mattie Murrey-Tegels is the founder and SLP behind Fresh SLP and The Missing Link for SLPs Podcast. She’s been “in-the-trenches” as a medical SLP around the world for over 25 years and now an Assistant Professor for 3 years. She is thrilled to be adding this dream of a podcast because paying her experiences forward is something she is very passionate about. If you ask her patients and students, one thing they will remember is how much she loves her job! She may not look like it but she is a huge introvert and when she is not actively working as an SLP, she is almost always reading, writing (writing over 1,000,000 words a year), or listening to amazing Chicago Blues bands. She also loves being outdoors and definitely enjoys soaking up the sun at her home in Minnesota, where warm and sunny days can be limited. She’s ridden motorcycles for many years, raced sled dogs, hiked huge mountains yet she cherishes the quiet moments of climbing into a hammock to nap or timeless conversations with friends and family.

The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and Fresh SLP is her legacy, giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded her.

Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me onInstagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebookor learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!

Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com!

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.