Blog

5 practical ways for SLPs to deal with uncertainty in private practice

10 November 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

Things can feel out of control. Rising inflation and interest rates. Staff shortages. Long waiting lists. Reporting deadlines. Work-life-family pressures. Life in private practice is messy!

We’re wired to fear the unknown; and many SLPs love order and control. But uncertainty and possibility are two sides of the same coin.

Most things that matter – relationships, life-changing experiences, achievements – come to us after long periods of uncertainty.

We can learn to manage uncertainty better:

Reframe: We’re all playing James Carse’s “infinite game” – not to ‘win’ or ‘lose’, but to do something meaningful. We are on an adventure to help people, and we can change the rules if needed.
Balance: Some things are under our control, including our routines and habits. Fixed morning and night routines, work systems, mediation and fitness habits, and environment tweaks to reduce the number of pointless choices we make each day can help provide balance.
Act! Actions change your mood. Many successes come from a series of small, consistent steps. Feel the fear and get going!
Prime yourself with regular, small risks: Take small, calculated risks with limited downsides, e.g. by learning something new out of your comfort zone. Not that long ago, I made my first Instagram Reel. I felt foolish and incompetent, but the new trick made this old dog feel braver about dealing with change!
Recast: Failing hurts. Unfair things happen. Chaos can inflict tunnel vision. Widen your perspective with different ‘lenses’:
- learning (What can I learn from this?);
- gratitude (What do I still have?);
- timing (This is temporary, I can try again!); and
- challenge (heroes overcome obstacles). Spend more time with people you respect and love. Doing things you care about. Stay true to your values and mission.

Key source: Furr, N. & Harmon Furr, S. (2022). How to Overcome Your Fear of the Unknown. Harvard Business Review, July-August, 135-139.

How to navigate conflict with other people

27 October 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

Interpersonal conflicts are common. They can make us worry and react in regrettable ways that make us feel bad about ourselves. Sometimes, we withdraw from relationships, which is also not good for us.

Conflict with people can lead to lots of bad outcomes: reduced focus and creativity, worse decision making, and unhappy relationships.

None of us is perfect when it comes to relationships. When you are in conflict with someone else, there are several strategies you can use to find a healthy way forward:

Remember your perspective is just one amongst many. Sometimes, we forget that we all have different viewpoints and values and think that our view is correct and all other views are uninformed, irrational or biased. Thus is not always true – not everyone sees things that same way and that’s okay.
Be aware everyone is biased (including you!). We sometimes assume that other people’s behaviour is due to their personality, when it might just be due to their situation. Ask someone you trust to help you reflect on the ways you might be seeing the situation unfairly.
Avoid black and white thinking. Sometimes, when we disagree with others, we start to think that the other person is an opponent or even enemy! Rather than thinking it’s ‘you versus them’, focus on the decision or situation instead and try to make progress on it. Think of yourself and the other person as sitting on opposite sides of a seesaw and work together to find a balance.
Know your goals: Avoid drama and stay focused on your goals, e.g. you want a healthy relationship that will last into the future, and you want to feel less angry/frustrated after interactions. Make a list of your goals and circle the most important ones. You don’t need to be best friends with the other person – focus first on having a functional, respectful relationship.
Don’t gossip or look for drama: It’s perfectly fine to seek help with sorting out your feelings and to check in with others. But choose who you speak with carefully and look for people who are constructive and who will challenge your perspective – people who will help you solve the specific problem.
Experiment: There is no one way to solve interpersonal conflicts. Your strategy will depend on the situation and the people involved. Experiment and see what happens: e.g. decide that for two weeks you will listen to the other person, and not interrupt, and focus on what they are saying (rather than how they say it). Try to summarise what the other person is saying, and check you have understood them. Try to interrupt your conflict patterns of the past.
Stay curious: People are complex! Try to learn more about the other person. Do not approach conversations with aggression or defensiveness, but with creativity and with genuine questions about them. Think about a future when you have overcome the conflict.
Don’t give up: With good faith efforts and hard work, you can resolve most interpersonal conflicts.

Key source: Gallo, A. (2022) How to Navigate Conflict with a Coworker, Harvard Business Review, September/October.

For more on supervision, check out our book “How to supervise speech pathologists properly in private practice“.

This infographic also appears in a recent issue of Banter Booster, our weekly round up of the best speech pathology ideas and practice tips for busy speech pathologists, speech pathology students, and other interested readers.

SLP leaders should tell their employees they appreciate them more often!

16 September 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

In a recent study, almost 30% of employees reported that they had not received any recognition over the last year. Atrocious!

Leaders who tell their employees that they appreciate them are perceived as being better at collaboration and teamwork, accepting feedback, building relationships, and motivating staff.

To improve morale, productivity, performance, client satisfaction, and employee retention, leading Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) – practice owners, managers, and supervisors – should recognise their employees’ contributions properly.

SLP leaders can improve employee recognition in four basic ways:

Content: be specific with praise, and recognise inputs – things like hard work, new ideas, and perseverance – not just outcomes (that are not always within an employee’s control).
Delivery: the line manager/supervisor should deliver recognition regularly, and as soon as practicable after the behaviour or achievement is observed.
Systems: implement simple, automatic cues to reflect on who went above and beyond; then take a few minutes to tell the employee you recognise it. (Don’t wait until you’re not busy.)
Personalisation: some employees love fanfare and acclaim. But about ⅓ of employees loathe public recognition. Notes/cards and sincere thank yous, delivered privately, can work just as well for talented introverts!

Source: Zenger, J. & Folkman, J. (2022). Do You Tell Your Employees You Appreciate Them? HBR Online, September.

For more on supervision, check out our book “How to supervise speech pathologists properly in private practice“.

Difficult professional conversations: tips to help control emotions

23 August 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

Many Speech Language Pathologists in private practice are people pleasers, overworked and under-resourced.

Disagreements about priorities, caseloads, workloads and feedback are inevitable. They can feel threatening and stressful.

When threatened, many of us switch to “fight or flight” mode, making it hard to think rationally and professionally.

We can implement strategies to interrupt this physical response to keep our cool during difficult conversations:

Breathe: Focus on the sensation of air coming in and out of your lungs, or your nostrils. Breath in slowly through your nose for a count of 4 and out for a count of 8 through slightly pursed lips, at least three times.
Anchor: Notice the feeling of your feet on the ground.
Move: If possible, get up and walk around. If this is not possible, do small physical acts like crossing two fingers or slowly touching each finger with your thumb.
Use a mantra: Repeat a phrase to yourself to remind yourself to stay calm, e.g. “Go to neutral”.
Label: Name your emotions and examine them, recognising you are not your thoughts. Put space between your (temporary) emotion and your identity.
Take a break: excuse yourself for a moment to get some water, coffee, or to go to the bathroom. (This can also help give your conversation partner a chance to cool off and reset.)

Source: Gallo, A. (2017). How to Control Your Emotions During a Difficult Conversation. Harvard Business Review, Digital Edition.

For more on supervision of speech pathologists, check out our book “How to supervise speech pathologists properly in private practice“.

This article also appears in a recent issue of Banter Booster, our weekly round up of the best speech pathology ideas and practice tips for busy speech pathologists and speech pathology students.

For speech pathologists in private practice, professionalism has never been more important

16 August 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

For Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in private practice, professionalism has never been more important. Here’s why:

“Professionalism” is a combination of knowledge, skills, trustworthiness, and altruism found in those who commit themselves to a life of service to others.
Because of our knowledge and expertise, SLPs have social prestige, asymmetrical power over clients and families, and regulatory privileges (e.g. under civil liability laws and Medicare and NDIS rules).
SLPs in private practice must balance our clients’ interests with our desire to create positive social outcomes, our legal, health and financial risks, and our need to make a sustainable living.
Governments bodies and speech pathology associations guide SLPs through this minefield, e.g., by requiring us to adhere to codes of conduct, professional standards, and a code of ethics.
The demand for speech pathology services has never been higher. Many private practice owners are struggling to employ and retain enough staff and most of us are working hard to manage long waitlists.
Despite the high current demand for speech pathology services, the position of the SLP profession is precarious. Challenges include:
- our lack of a protected title under National and state health practitioner regulations;
- the rapid recent growth of the profession and a shortage of experienced and trained supervisors to support early career speech pathologists properly;
- increasing professional compliance costs and requirements, including with respect to ongoing professional accreditation;
- continuing high burnout/turnover rates;
- pressures from clients and insurers to deliver more for less;
- an influx of competitors and substitutes, including from:
  - speech pathology students, assistants and other paraprofessionals;
  - outsourcing and remote SLPs providing telehealth services from lower-cost jurisdictions (though the size of this issue is hard to quantify);
  - the increase in the number of clinics owned and operated by professional investors who are not SLPs or other allied health professionals; and
  - disruptive technologies, including artificial intelligence applications and the digitisation and globalisation of services;
- the proliferation of information sources about our field of knowledge;
- the growing social distrust of experts, credentials, and science, generally;
- valid criticism of our profession’s history, biases, prejudices and lack of diversity;
- stagnant rebates and quasi-price controls over some of our regulated services while wage and business costs are increasing;
- our vulnerability, as practices, to negative public feedback, including from online reviews; and
- high levels of general uncertainty in private practice, including about the future.
SLPs in private practice must not respond to these challenges with a ‘race to the bottom’ or lowered standards. Resource constraints and competition are very real; and we need more innovation, cooperation, and better systems to do more with less and not burn out. For example, we can improve our training and supervision systems for SLPs and assistants, embrace new technologies so we can help more people, and use social media responsibly to advocate for our clients and increase client access to services while maintaining trust.
As professionals, we must invest in the essential elements that make what we do valuable for the clients and communities we serve. This includes:
- expanding our ‘circle’ of functional, core, workflow, and leadership, competencies (knowledge, skill, and experience);
- supporting our colleagues to take calculate risks and to trial innovations, including by becoming more tolerant of SLPs who are trying new things – even when they fail;
- upholding professional ethics and standards especially through hard times;
- articulating common values above and beyond our health ethics foundations, including altruism, good judgment, empathy, discernment, probity, practicality, and clarity; and
- increasing our service quality and value for money, including our:
  - commitments to client and staff safety;
  - willingness to accept and act on feedback;
  - preparedness to work collaboratively with clients, families, other professionals, and the communities we serve; and
  - ability to form trusted, long-term relationships to increase our reach.
For the sake of our profession’s future – and the viability of our practices and careers – we must protect these elements of professionalism at all costs.

Key source: Beaton, G. (2022) Why Professionalism Matters More Than Ever (White Paper), Australian Council of Professions, May 2022.

Related articles: