Trying to figure out if you have the personality for working in Speech Pathology? You might be looking at your career options and think being a speechie might be up your alley. Or maybe you’re a university student in your first year and are wondering if it’s the right degree for you.
Today we want to shine a light on the some of the traits we believe make up the ultimate Speech Pathologist personality type. It’s the stuff we’ve noticed time and time again in our incredible team of Speech Therapists, and it’s the personality traits they’ve noticed in one another.
Have a read and see if you match up with the Speech Pathologist personality type!
How to Know You Have the Speech Pathologist Personality Type:
#1: You Are Creative
If you are the kind of person who loves getting creative, you’d be a great Speech Pathologist! We’ve seen that great Speech Pathologists are always coming up with new ideas, getting crafty with colour and unique activities and take the time to consider how to use resources in new ways to support different client goals.
#2: You Are Open Minded
One of the personality traits that all the best Speech Pathologists have is that they are open minded. As you can imagine, as a Speechie you spend your days providing quality person-centred care to a whole variety of people across the lifespan and their families. No two clients are the same, even if they have similar speech therapy goals, so you’ve got to be open minded in your approach to provide the best quality service.
#3: You Are Personable
If you’re in the Speech Pathology world, you’re a ‘people person’! You love taking the time to get to know the people you are caring for, what is important to them, and how you can help them to achieve their speech therapy goals. You provide information and guidance for home practice and answer questions your clients have in a personable, friendly way.
#4: You Are Driven
There’s a personality trait we’ve seen in all of our Speech Pathologists at SpeechEase Speech Therapy – they are driven! They are motivated to help their clients achieve their goals in therapy, and they are also driven to achieve their career goals. Whether you want to specialise in a certain area of Speech Pathology or find balance in your career with flexible hours or a side hustle, plenty of Speech Pathologists are driven and motivated people by nature.
#5: You Are Organised
When you’ve got a full day of clients ahead of you, it pays to be organised! All of the best Speech Therapists we’ve seen are organised in their professional world and this often carries over to their personal life too. Whether they use digital planners or paper planners, Speech Pathologists know how how to organise their day so they can achieve what they need to and feel energised from start to finish.
#6: You Are Enthusiastic
All Speech Pathologists need to be enthusiastic – but it’s particularly important for the paediatric Speech Pathologist personality type! If you want to keep little ones engaged in a speech therapy session, oftentimes you’ll need to bring out your bright and bubbly personality as you enthusiastically introduce your speech therapy session activities. Being enthusiastic and supportive about home practice and educating families on how to incorporate it into their daily routine will also help you a lot in your career!
#7: You Are Compassionate
As you can imagine, being in the health profession means that Speech Pathologists are generally very compassionate and kind people. They care a lot about the clients they support and their colleagues who they work alongside in the clinic. Speech Pathologists show their compassionate nature through the way they check in with clients if they’ve noticed they’re a little quieter in their session than normal, and stepping down activities if they are getting too challenging and causing distress. Speech Pathologists do everything they can to show compassion in every interaction with clients and their families – it’s a personality trait we love to see in action.
#8: You Are Fun
Now, this final trait might make you wonder but we are sure that you are a whole lot of fun so don’t doubt yourself! One of the most consistent things we notice in the Speech Pathologist personality type is that they are fun to be around. Speechies love a good laugh, and with our focus on communication it’s no wonder that they’re great at making jokes and bringing the fun energy to sessions and to the clinic as whole.
Have you made your way to the end of this article nodding your head? It might just be a sign that you are meant to be a Speech Pathologist! If you are trying to decide whether to start (or continue!) a degree, head on over to our tips for uni students for more helpful insights.
If you are already a Speech Pathologist and have found yourself feeling a bit uninspired or burned out, maybe it’s time to step back and re-evaluate your goals. Take a look at our list of six inspiring speech pathology career goals to get back on track.