Recently, I was talking with my good friend and hairdresser, Jo, the Manager of ‘Hair on Onslow’.
Btw….Jo did not do this hair style, but I bet she could!
I was praising her as she always seems to work so well with her clients and her team of incredibly talented hairdressers. They really look the part – edgy fashion hair colours and bold cuts. Their results are pretty amazing. It is always a delight to watch others being transformed. People seem to enter the salon as one person and leave a much happier version of themselves, looking amazing and feeling more positive with their lot.
When I moved to Perth recently, I was looking for a skilled hair professional and I found Jo by chance……or was it?
I remember the day I first walked in to enquire about her services. All the staff not only looked amazing but they also were incredibly polite and appeared genuinely interested in me, not only as a potential customer but also as a person. They had a laugh with me, but took my questions seriously. Above all, it felt like they really knew their job, had great hands-on experience and training and seemed to go just that little bit further than others I had met. Jo exudes passion and love for her work. She takes it seriously and is a mentor to her staff and a judge at major hairdressing competitions. When I praised her staff’s hair, she simply commented that it was ‘so important to have a point of difference’. That got me thinking about Perth Adult Speech Pathology’s points of difference, as well as that of others within my local community.
Gazza making a difference
Just before the Easter break, I noticed Garry undertaking his duties at the school crossing at Floreat Primary School. He looked so happy and interested in doing his job well. He took time out to smile or to speak with every parent and child who crossed the road that day. He shared a little part of his cheerful personality with people and always took the safety of the pedestrians seriously. Whilst the ‘bunny ears’ were his obvious point of difference that first took my eye, it was his real interest in communicating with people and showing them interest which stood out most. His positive demeanour was contagious.
So…what are my points of difference? Hmmmmm……
Actually, I would like to think that I am a little bit like Jo and Garry. I am passionate about my job, I love to make positive changes to people’s lives and I truly believe that my clients feel more confident and skilled after attending a block of therapy, as objective improvements can be noted – not only by themselves but by their work colleagues, friends and families.
My key points of difference include having undertaken significant and ongoing post-graduate training in the UK for the past 23 years whilst I was living and working there. This extra training has involved specialising in adults with speech, language, communication and swallowing problems. I have attended many top quality courses, worked in some amazing multi-disciplinary teams and I have been professionally mentored by some incredible people. I have learnt so much from all of these experiences.
I believe that keeping professionally up-to-date is so important – we never stop learning and things always change. There constantly is a bigger knowledge pool to dip our toes into. We must be aware of any relevant research in our field, so that our ongoing therapy with clients remains ‘evidence-based’, current and effective. As I am constantly reminded, ‘there is more than one way to skin a cat’, so I have adopted an eclectic clinical approach, having equipped myself with a vast range of therapeutic techniques and approaches to choose from.
In addition to my Australian undergraduate Speech Pathology Degree, I have obtained a further Degree in Health Services Management from Derby University, UK, as well as specialising there in adult neurological conditions (including dysphasia, dyspraxia and dysarthria), adult swallowing problems (dysphagia) and adults who stutter (dysfluency).
I also have two rather ‘unusual points of difference’: my extra qualifications, certificates and hands-on experience in:
1) ‘Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages’ to individuals and groups, enabling me to help modify accents and work on syntactical differences
2) ‘Hypnosis as an Adjunct to Speech and Language Therapy’ from University College, London. This sometimes can be a useful tool to use when a client presents, for example, with swallowing problems or a dysfluency secondary to anxiety, particularly if other strategies alone do not help.
Of course, all clients and their families are well and truly part of the informed decision-making process of what therapeutic interventions are used and form an ongoing part of the therapeutic and review process.
