Struggling with how to support a student who stutters without falling into the “fix it” trap? In this episode, Hallie sits down with Wendy Dietz, an SLP and clinic owner in Colorado who specializes in stuttering therapy, to chat all about what an acceptance-based approach really looks like. Wendy shares how a moving college essay first sparked her interest in stuttering, how the CARE model she learned at UT Austin completely shifted her perspective, and how she helps parents let go of all-or-...

In this solo episode, Hallie unpacks one of her go-to therapy strategies for grades 4-12: word webs. She covers why this simple visual tool does so much heavy lifting in mixed therapy groups, how it hits multiple goals at once, and why it beats another boring vocabulary worksheet every time. If you've been looking for a way to teach vocabulary that actually sticks (and doesn't require a Pinterest-worthy setup), this episode is for you. Bullet Points to Discuss: What word webs are and...

Feeling unsure about AAC? You're not alone. In this episode, Hallie sits down with Cassidy, a speech therapist and owner of Around the Spectrum Therapy in Pennsylvania, to talk through what makes AAC feel so overwhelming and how to move past the "getting it right" mentality. Cassidy shares her journey from knowing next to nothing about AAC to building a robust vocabulary approach with clients from as young as 17 months, plus practical ways to coach parents and teachers who feel stuck. Bull...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie's back with returning guest Shelby Davis, a school-based SLP at Community High School in Teaneck, NJ, and a doctoral candidate at Monmouth University. Shelby's diving into the 5th-year transition program she's helping build for students on the spectrum and others with complex learning needs — designed to bridge the gap between high school and real independence. From vocational skill-building to community partnerships, Shelby walks through how the pro...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with researchers Klaire Brumbaugh and Katy Cabbage, who are part of a team building a nationwide study around something secondary SLPs know all too well: the older student still working on that R who has zero interest in being in the speech room. They're developing tools to actually measure student motivation—so SLPs have real data behind decisions like when to keep kids on, when to discharge, and how to catch that window when a student is ...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Alyssa Antcliff—SLP and founder of IndiAide—about what's actually happening with your clients between sessions, and how technology can finally give you the full picture. Alyssa shares how her frustration with paper handouts and vague "it went fine" updates led her to build a between-session therapy management platform, and why remote therapeutic monitoring might be the reimbursement pathway you didn't know existed. If you've ever wished yo...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Ana Hernandez—SLP and founder of Adult Stuttering—about why she ditched fluency therapy and never looked back. Ana breaks down the adaptation effect, why you can’t sit in the middle ground, and what it actually looks like to run an affirming stuttering session from start to finish. If stuttering has always felt like uncharted territory, this one’s your map. Bullet Points to Discuss: Why the middle ground between fluency and accept...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie finally tells her own story. From an undecided freshman at University of Buffalo to accidentally falling in love with speech pathology through a friend doing phonetics homework in the library, to getting peed on the morning of her one job interview in 2009 — yeah, that happened. If you’ve been listening for a while and always wondered how Speech Time Fun actually started, this one’s for you. Bullet Points to Discuss: How Hallie stumbled in...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Victoria Dertouzos—SLP and founder of Speech and Stuttering Therapy of New Jersey—about why stuttering therapy looks so different than it used to, and why that’s a good thing. Victoria breaks down what a modern, neurodiversity-affirming approach to stuttering actually looks like in practice, how to assess what you’ve been missing, and what to say to students who’ve never felt heard in a therapy room. If stuttering therapy isn’t your jam, t...

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Mary Woodward—speech-language therapist, justice and mental health specialist, and university lecturer based in Sydney—about why trauma-informed care belongs in every SLP’s toolkit, no matter where you practice. Mary shares what trauma actually means clinically, how it shows up in communication and behavior, and the core principles that can shift your sessions from unintentionally harmful to genuinely healing. This one’s for every SLP who’...