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Background: Speech–language therapists use counselling to address the psychological well‐being of people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Speech–language therapists report low counselling knowledge, skill and confidence for working in post‐stroke aphasia which may be related to a lack of counselling training specific to the needs of this client group. Aims: To identify current training in counselling for speech–language therapists to address psychological well‐being in people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Specifically, the intent was to establish the objectives, content, amount, teaching methods and outcomes of counselling training provided to speech–language therapists working with people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Eleven databases were searched from inception to January 2018 using terms relating to counselling, psychological well‐being, speech–language therapy, stroke, aphasia and training. Studies using any research methodology and design were included. Nine studies were critically appraised and synthesized as a systematic review using the Search, AppraisaL, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) framework. Main Contribution: Information on counselling training came from the UK, United States and Australia. Student speech–language therapists received training in goal‐setting and generic counselling skills. After qualification, speech–language therapists received counselling training from mental health professionals within stroke workplaces, from external providers and further education. A range of teaching techniques and counselling approaches were described. Self‐report and themes from qualitative data were the primary measures of counselling training outcomes. Moderate correlations were reported between counselling training and levels of speech–language therapists' knowledge, comfort, confidence and preparedness to counsel people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Conclusions: Research in counselling training for speech–language therapists working in post‐stroke aphasia is limited, with a small number of primarily low‐quality studies available. Training in generic counselling skills and brief psychological approaches with support from mental health professionals in the stroke workplace enabled speech–language therapists to feel knowledgeable, skilled and confident to address the psychological well‐being of people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Evidence about the effectiveness of counselling training on speech–language therapists' confidence and competence in practice and on client outcomes in psychological well‐being in post‐stroke aphasia is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) report involving parents in intervention for phonology-based speech sound disorders (SSDs), and to describe the home practice that they recommend. Further aims were to describe the training SLPs report providing to parents, to explore SLPs' beliefs and motivations for involving parents in intervention, and to determine whether SLPs' characteristics are associated with their self-reported practice. Method: An online survey of 288 SLPs working with SSD in Australia was conducted. Result: The majority of SLPs (96.4%) reported involving parents in intervention, most commonly in providing home practice. On average, these tasks were recommended to be completed five times per week for 10 min. SLPs reported training parents using a range of training methods, most commonly providing opportunities for parents to observe the SLP conduct the intervention. SLPs' place of work and years of experience were associated with how they involved and trained parents in intervention. Most (95.8%) SLPs agreed or strongly agreed that family involvement is essential for intervention to be effective. Conclusion: Parent involvement and home practice appear to be intricately linked within intervention for phonology-based SSDs in Australia. More high-quality research is needed to understand how to best involve parents within clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health landscape is rapidly changing with health professionals needing to adapt to new and emerging environments, while still providing quality health care. Access to appropriate supervision can enable the workforce to deliver high-quality health care by supporting the development of knowledge and clinical skills in supervisees, thus improving client outcomes and reducing clinician stress and burnout. Recently, Speech Pathology Australia has been emphasising the importance of supervision for speech-language pathologists with new publications and website resources. Empirical evidence of the benefits of clinical supervision specifically for speech-language pathologists is largely lacking in the literature. This paper draws on relevant literature from other professions to build a case for the need for all practising speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to receive regular clinical supervision. From this literature a framework for undertaking supervision has been constructed, recommending a focus on reflection and relationships. Key points support SLPs in their implementation of supervision, to optimise the benefits and outcomes. A future article will more specifically explore supervision for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effectiveness of the Lidcombe Program for early stuttering in community clinics. Participants were 31 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) using the Lidcombe Program in clinics across Australia, and 57 of their young stuttering clients. Percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) was collected 9 months after beginning treatment along with information about variables likely to influence outcomes. The mean %SS for the 57 children 9 months after starting treatment was 1.7. The most significant predictor of outcome was Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium (LPTC) training. The children of trained SLPs (n = 19), compared to the children of untrained SLPs, took 76% more sessions to complete stage 1, but achieved 54% lower %SS scores, 9 months after starting treatment. Results suggest that outcomes for the Lidcombe Program in the general community may be comparable to those obtained in clinical trials when SLPs receive formal training and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]