Molly Fecht, MA CCC-SLP
Meet Molly Fecht, a dedicated Teletherapist at Unlimited Teletherapy, whose passion, nurturing approach, and commitment shine through in her work with students. In this insightful interview, Molly shares her experiences and expertise, addressing key questions that delve into the rewarding success stories, effective strategies, and unique challenges encountered in teletherapy for speech-language pathology.
1. Can you share a particularly rewarding success story from your experience in teletherapy?
I worked with a middle school student who had a stutter. In therapy, we addressed his feelings about stuttering to promote acceptance. I also taught him some strategies to use when he wants his speech to be more fluent. I received feedback from a teacher that he did a presentation in front of his class where he was confident, and his speech was very fluent. I was very excited to have been able to help him.
2. What strategies or specialized techniques have you found most effective in achieving milestones and progress with students?
I have recently been exploring and using new vocabulary interventions that focus on teaching the students to use root words and affixes to help them identify word patterns and use those to determine word meanings with unfamiliar vocabulary. I’ve seen some nice progress with my students using these strategies.
3. Have you encountered any challenges unique to teletherapy in speech-language pathology? Can you give an example? How did you overcome these challenges?
My biggest challenge has been learning to manage behavior and attention with my students when I can’t be there in person to help keep them engaged and redirect them. I have an amazing e-helper who has helped me find my groove. She is committed to making sure my students get the most out of their treatment sessions while being kind and respectful to my students.
4. In your opinion, what factors contribute to successful outcomes in teletherapy for speech-language pathology? Can you share an example that demonstrates these factors?
The key factors include choosing engaging activities, developing relationships with students so they feel comfortable and excited to participate, and using evidence-based approaches to help them progress. For example, I have a student who loves the show “My Little Pony,” so we incorporate that into sessions to help him be engaged and motivated to participate.
5. Have you noticed any specific benefits or advantages of teletherapy in helping clients reach milestones compared to traditional in-person therapy sessions?
Kids today really enjoy working with technology. They are excited to see me each week and to play games on the computer while they learn.
6. What role do caregivers or parents play in supporting the progress and milestones of students during their sessions? Can you provide an example that highlights the importance of their involvement?
Caregivers and parents supporting our goals in the home setting help our students make faster progress and encourage the carryover of skills outside of the school setting. We must all be on the same page, speak the same message, or use the same prompts to help these students learn and grow. I have a student with a stutter whose parent really benefited from conversations we had that shifted her mindset from “I want my child to not stutter” to “I do not want my child to let his stutter limit him or prevent him from communicating and sharing all the wonderful things he has to say in any setting/situation.”
7. How do you measure and track progress or milestones in your sessions? Can you share any tools you find particularly effective?
I take data on my IEP objectives to monitor student progress frequently. I find that quarterly progress reports are a great time to reflect on student progress and consider whether we need to modify things to help them attain their goals.
8. How do you maintain engagement and motivation for students?
Learning about the student’s interests and incorporating those into our sessions to help them be engaged. I also like to make sure the students take some ownership over their goals, reminding them why they come to speech and how this will help them, whether academically, socially, or both.
9. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Switching from a medical setting where I provided in-person instruction for seven years to this company was a scary change, but it has been such a wonderful one. Unlimited Teletherapy is a special company run by Speech Therapists who focus on children and provide the best possible therapy to help them succeed. I’m so happy to be working for such a wonderful company.
Molly is one of many of our Teletherapists at Unlimited Teletherapy and we are honored to have her on our team!
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