Speechies in Business

Helping Speech Pathologists in private practice focus on what matters most: their clients

Business Tips and Resources

How to navigate conflict with other people

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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.

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Difficult professional conversations: tips to help control emotions

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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.

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Change to short notice cancellations under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2022-23

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The National Disability Insurance Agency (“NDIA”) has published pricing arrangements for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (“NDIS”) in its NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2022-23 (“Pricing Arrangements”), which took effect on 1 July 2022.

Amongst other things, the NDIA has modified the definition of short notice cancellation in the Pricing Arrangements.

(1) Short Notice Cancellation

A short notice cancellation is defined in the Pricing Arrangements as when a NDIS participant:

  • doesn’t show up for a scheduled support within a reasonable time (e.g. in the event the NDIS participant should be attending a clinic where the NDIS provider is located); or
  • is not present at the agreed place within a reasonable time when the NDIS provider is travelling to deliver the support (e.g. in the event the NDIS provider provides the support at the NDIS participant’s home or a third party location),

and

  • has given less than seven clear days’ notice for a support.

This means an NDIS participant should give an NDIS provider at least seven clear days’ notice of the cancellation of a support.

The definition has been simplified from a two-tier system (two or five clear business days) notice, depending on the duration and cost of the support under the 2021-22 arrangements, to a single definition based on the number of days (rather than business days).

(2) Claiming for a Short Notice Cancellation

In the event of a short notice cancellation, an NDIS provider is able to claim 100% of the agreed fee associated with the support from the NDIS participant’s plan, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

  • the Pricing Arrangements set out that NDIS providers can claim for short notice cancellations in relation to the relevant support item; and
  • the proposed charges for the activities comply with the Pricing Arrangements; and
  • the service agreement between the NDIS provider and NDIS participant specifies that short notice cancellations can be claimed; and
  • the NDIS provider was not able to find alternative billable work for the relevant worker and was required to pay the worker for the time that would have been spent providing the support.

Takeaways

In order to claim for a short notice cancellation, NDIS providers should:

  • check that short notice cancellations can be claimed in relation to the relevant support item under the Pricing Arrangements;
  • ensure that their charges comply with the Pricing Arrangements;
  • check that the service agreement between them and an NDIS participant specifies that short notice cancellations can be claimed (and, if required, amend the service agreement with a variation signed by the NDIS participant and NDIS provider); and
  • be able to show that they could not find alternative billable work for the relevant worker and was required to pay the worker for the time that would have been spent providing the support.

The definition of short cancellation notice includes the concept of “within a reasonable time”. NDIS providers should consider what, in the circumstances of the provision of a particular support, is a reasonable time to wait when a NDIS participant does not show up for a support prior to making a claim for a short notice cancellation under the NDIS participant’s NDIS plan.

As good practice, NDIS providers should remind NDIS participants of the need to provide 7 clear days notice of a cancellation of a support (so as to not be impacted by short notice cancellations).

Our NDIS Service Agreement and NDIS Provider and Health Provider Booking and Cancellation Policy templates have been updated to respond to the changes to the Pricing Arrangements with respect to short notice cancellations.

NDIS Service Agreement Template
NDIS and Health Provider Booking and Cancellation Policy Template

Disclaimer: we have done our best to ensure that this article is correct as at the date of publication (7 July 2022). It may not reflect any changes to the Pricing Arrangements or other NDIS rules or guidelines after the date of publication. The article is intended to provide general information and is not legal advice. Formal legal and/or accounting advice should be sought for particular circumstances and transactions, or for matters arising from this article.

Alert for Speech Pathologists in Private Practice in Australia: do you know about the new rules for casual employees?

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In Australia, new rules about casual employees came into effect on 27 March 2021.*

The new rules aim to:

  • make things clearer for employees and employers when figuring out if someone is a casual employee; and
  • give casual employees the right to convert to part-time or full-time employment in some circumstances.

We welcome more certainty about when someone is – or isn’t – a casual employee. But employers need to consider the new rules carefully when:

  • hiring new employees; and 
  • implementing systems to make offers of conversion to casual employees when required.

There are also some tricky transition rules to consider for the 6 month period from 27 March 2021.

For a great summary of the rules, and what they mean for employers, check out this article by Jack de Flamigh, a partner at law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has also published some useful information about the new rules. You can access these here.

Note: As always, this alert is informational only. Nothing in this alert constitutes or is to be taken as legal advice. Speech pathologists and other employers should seek legal advice before doing anything in response to the new rules. 

*See the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021, which amended the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

Speech pathologists in private practice: How to sleep better

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Between 12-15% of Australians meet the criteria for insomnia.

Insomnia is linked to an increased risk of mental health issues and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Risk factors include having existing health conditions, older age, and being a woman.

Long-lasting stress is another contributor – something often experienced in private practice.

Having a task-oriented mind-set and perfectionistic tendencies – both common traits for speech pathologists – also increase the risk.

Potential solutions include:

  • prescription sleep medications, but they have side effects and often don’t get at root causes;
  • herbal remedies like valerian and melatonin, which might slightly improve sleep time and quality (although the evidence to date is not compelling);
  • consistent bed and wake times, dark, quiet and cool environments;
  • avoiding screens, alcohol, and caffeine too close to bed;
  • undertaking cognitive behaviour therapies for insomnia (CBT-I) to reassociate bed with rest, relaxation and sleep, challenge beliefs that you are a “bad sleeper”, learn to be realistic about sleep, and adopt better sleep behaviours to match time in bed with time sleeping; and
  • using FREE online resources like the “This Way Up” insomnia course, developed by St Vincent’s Hospital and the University of New South Wales.
Speech pathologists in private practice How to sleep better


Principal source: Tufvesson, A. (2021). Losing sleep. LSJ, 74, 52-53.

Key resources:

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