by Shannon Mahoney

After graduation, all Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) must complete a Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY). The “year” is approximately nine months of working at their first job under the supervision of a licensed SLP. After this time, and with all the approved documentation, a Clinical Fellow (CF) receives a Certificate of Clinical Competence showing they are now a certified SLP; no longer in need of supervision. I recently completed my CFY at Easter Seals of SEPA. In the beginning I called my CFY a Complete Failure, but with the help of my fellow SLPs, an amazing classroom staff, and supportive supervisors, I now consider it the most Crazy Fulfilling Year of my life.

The transition from years as a student to a working adult was a jarring experience and I felt overwhelmed when I started treating students at our Early Intervention Center. There are so many people that can be involved within one single case, such as service coordinators, special instructors, speech/occupational/physical therapists, regular education teachers, parents, behavior specialists, and various support staff. As part of the team, I was initially unaware of the amount of communication and correspondence necessary to help my students succeed. I can only imagine what a parent must feel like going through the “system” as well.

As an early intervention provider, we are sometimes the first contact families have had with special education services. Being part of their satisfaction with the program and ultimately, the progress of their child’s abilities was a daunting task at first. However, with the passion of each of my coworkers and the respect and appreciation from each of my families, I slowly began to become comfortable and confident in my clinical decisions. They helped me turn what I thought of as a complete failure, into one crazy fulfilling job. Working at Easter Seals has been the proudest moment for me because every single staff in this organization has the best interest of our students as their number one priority.

Our classroom teachers are constantly working to create engaging lesson plans using their skills to adapt tasks that our children can interact with and increase the students’ academic skills. My classroom teacher fought for the rights of each of her students if she felt they needed a different education setting or more supportive services put into place. She instilled in me a sense of passion for this job and the unyielding dedication to her students that all of our staff possess. My supervisor and director provided the most hospitable working environment that showed me how important it is to welcome families and make them feel comfortable during uncertain times. The other therapists in the building taught me the essentials of being a good clinician and that learning does not end; even if we are no longer considered students ourselves.

In the end, I learned more during my first 9 months at this institution than a person could have gained from years of schooling. The knowledge that I have been imparted from by my coworkers is invaluable because every day I saw people doing what they love. Even with a rough start, I can now say that I love what I do. I believe it is because of the values instilled in each employee at Easter Seals that makes this place so special. It is my hope that our families also see the passion and devotion that I see every day when I come to work. They are the reason we are here, and their children are why we all love what we do.