Berkshire Speech and
Language Therapy
Many of you will know her as one of the Cookham mums
who helps to run Holy Trinity parent and toddler group on
a Thursday morning, which is where I first met Bethan Beaney. But Bethan also owns Berkshire Speech and Language Therapy
– a company she set up after working for the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist for 12 years. I sat down with her for a good old chinwag about it...
Remind me again why you chose Cookham to be 'home'?
My husband, Doug, and I made the move from London shortly after we married and just before we had our first baby. We knew we wanted to move out of the city so we could have a house with a garden. We looked round lots of places west of London, and in the end, Cookham just seemed like the right place for
us – it has a lovely community, there's lots of beautiful countryside and good schools too.
Enlighten me on your career as a Speech and Language Therapist...
I've been working for the NHS for over 12 years now, and had thought about doing private work over the past few years, but it never seemed like the right time. After having my second baby, the commute I needed to make to Ealing for work just seemed too much, so I decided it was time to go it alone.
I have been lucky enough to work with lots of great speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers and doctors, as well as other professionals over the years, and have learned so much from them all. Setting up in private practice is exciting as it will give me more time to work with clients and their families, which is the best part of the job.
Much of my experience has been in working with children with autism and learning difficulties, but this will give me the opportunity to work with a broad range of clients again, which I'm really looking forward to.
Had you always been interested in doing this since you were younger?
I had a work placement with a speech therapist when I was 16 and found the work she did fascinating. It combined my interest of the medical side of things with being good at languages, and so I ended up applying for the degree course. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have always loved my career. It has challenged me because when assessing a child you never know who will walk through the door. It requires you to put both parent and child at ease, gain as much information
as possible about the background and then use your skills to engage a child in playing, so that you can assess a range of communication skills.
I really enjoyed my time working in the child development centre in Hammersmith as that involved assessing complex children and helping make diagnoses which obviously had a major impact on that child and family's future. It can be quite heart-wrenching having to tell a family that their child has a lifelong condition such as autism, but a diagnosis can help the family access
the valuable support and therapy they need.
What kind of children have you helped?
In initial assessment clinics I have to be prepared for anyone who walks through my door, be it a minor speech difficulty or a child who is late to talk and showing some social communication difficulties. I have to be prepared for parents who might have already done lots of research and have lots of questions, or for those parents who really don't think there is anything wrong with their child,
but actually there are some big concerns. The children can be any age from
18 months to 16 years. My work in special schools has been with children with special needs aged 5-19 years. I am also involved in sitting on the panel which read through professionals' reports to decide whether a child should receive a statement of special educational need (now EHCplans) and if so, what level of support do they need. I advise on the speech and language therapy contribution in this process, but it has been very interesting hearing other professional views on a child and understanding the way decisions are made so that they are fair, robust and legal.
You clearly love working with children...
Yes, I've enjoyed working with all age groups in my career, but I guess being a
mum of two children under three, at the moment I'm really tuned in to little ones and find their development fascinating. It can be challenging, especially when children have their own agenda and don't want to do the lovely therapy task you have brought along with you, but that's part of the fun of it, having to think on your feet and use what you are learning about that child to tailor the therapy to them.
What do people need to know before they book an appointment with you?
Most of my initial appointments will need to be about two hours. This allows
lots of time to get a good background to your child and their situation, as well
as giving time for your child to get used to me before I try to play with them
and I begin an assessment of what they're good at and what they are finding difficult. Following the initial assessment, there is no obligation to continue input, but I will provide a report with recommendations and I will advise you
as to whether speech and language therapy would benefit your child. I can
then offer therapy sessions and agree the length and frequency with parents.
You also run a toddler group. Tell me about that...
Yes... a good friend talked me into it! I am part of a committee who help run
the Thursday toddler group at Holy Trinity parish centre. I started going when my daughter was about four months old, and a few months later, agreed to
help run it. It's a lovely group and I can't help but try to bring some of my knowledge of child development, as well as what I have learned from working
in schools, into the sessions. I've been developing some 'song bags' over time
so that the toddlers can be involved in choosing the songs and I try to do lots
of actions and the odd bit of signing to bring the songs to life a bit more. The little ones do seem to really respond to that as it taps into visual learning –
when they're little they learn so much from seeing what happens around them!
For more information, vist
Email info@berkshirespeechtherapy.com
Tel 07734995214
