Profession speech therapist

As you know, there are no ideal people, and each of us has, albeit a small, flaw. Of course, most external flaws can be, if not corrected, then disguised with the help of cosmetics or clothing. However, there are also shortcomings that cannot be hidden; they can only be dealt with with the help of specialists. One of these disadvantages includes speech defects, which speech therapists help get rid of.

As you know, there are no ideal people, and each of us has, albeit a small, drawback: some have problem skin, others suffer from excess weight or excessive thinness, and for some, the subject of dissatisfaction is the shape of the nose or hair color . Of course, most external flaws can be, if not corrected, then disguised with the help of cosmetics or clothing. However, there are also shortcomings that cannot be hidden; they can only be dealt with with the help of specialists. One of these disadvantages includes speech defects, which speech therapists help get rid of.

Note that in modern society profession of speech therapist is of particular importance because its representatives help us better understand each other. After all, if a person does not stutter or pronounces all the letters correctly, then he not only feels freer when communicating with other people, but it is also much easier to understand him. By the way, if you think that anyone can become a speech therapist, you are deeply mistaken. And after reading this article, in which we will try to talk about all the features of this profession, you will understand why.

Who is a speech therapist?

A highly qualified specialist who studies the causes of speech defects (stuttering, lisp, burr, dysgraphia, dyslexia, etc.), and using special techniques, methods and techniques helps adults and children get rid of them.

The name of the profession comes from the Greek logos (speech) and paideia (education). That is, judging by the name, a speech therapist deals with speech education - in essence, teaches how to speak correctly. This profession cannot boast of a “rich” past: the formation of speech therapy began only in the 17th century, when European teachers began to develop methods for teaching children with hearing problems. Speech therapy in its familiar form began to take shape only in the mid-20th century. It was during this period that teachers increasingly began to think that speech defects, for the most part, were most likely the result of psychological problems that could and should be dealt with.

That is why modern speech therapists not only know numerous methods and methods for correcting speech defects, but also study the basics of psychology, which help them identify the root causes of the defect (if it is not congenital). Well, since speech defects can occur at any age, and the approach to treating children and adults is strikingly different from each other, speech therapists today are usually divided into specialists for adults and specialists for children.

Naturally, the “age” division of speech therapists mainly affects only the approach to “patients”. The responsibilities of all speech therapists are approximately the same. This is an examination of a person and identification of the structure and severity of a speech defect, correction of speech defects, carrying out activities aimed at developing a speech culture, maintaining reporting documentation, timely advanced training, etc.

What personal qualities should a speech therapist have?

Speech defects often become the cause of various complexes, which can sometimes manifest themselves in aggression or depression, therefore, in their work as speech therapists You have to show miracles of patience and endurance. In addition, the following personal qualities will help speech therapists effectively perform their duties:

• communication skills;
• goodwill;
• stress resistance;
• tolerance;
• tact;
• observation;
• persistence;
• the ability to be persuasive.

Of course, all these personal qualities will not help if the speech therapist does not have a huge amount of knowledge behind him. And not only in the field of speech therapy (including mastering the most modern methods and techniques for correcting a particular speech defect), but also in pedagogy, anatomy, medicine and psychology. After all, the cause of a speech problem can be both psychological and physiological disorders, and a speech therapist must not only identify this cause, but also recommend a specialist to the person, cooperation with whom will allow him to completely get rid of the defect (for example, if the speech problem arose due to a congenital speech defect device, then you can get rid of the problem only with the help of surgery followed by speech correction).

Advantages of being a speech therapist

It’s not difficult to guess that the main advantage of being a speech therapist is the feeling of actually being “useful” and being able to help people. However, in addition to the “spiritual” advantages, this profession also has several “material” ones. The latter include:

• the opportunity to conduct private practice and formulate your own pricing policy, which means receiving a high income and a free work schedule;
• large “geography” of employment - speech therapists are in demand in many organizations: schools, kindergartens, clinics, rehabilitation centers, etc.;
• demand - the services of speech therapists will always be needed, so these specialists will never be left without work;
• You can continue working as a speech therapist for as long as the specialist is ready and able to work (that is, there is no such thing as a retirement age for speech therapists).

Disadvantages of being a speech therapist

But you shouldn’t think that speech therapists “roll like cheese in butter” and don’t have any problems. There are also disadvantages to their work. Main disadvantage of being a speech therapist can be called a huge expenditure of emotional and physical strength. Quite often, a speech therapist also has to act as a psychotherapist, ready not only to listen, but also to empathize.

Another obvious disadvantage of this profession, many speech therapists call the need to maintain a huge amount of various documentation (especially if the specialist works in a government agency). At the same time, “paper” work, as a rule, is not included in the main working hours, which is why specialists have to spend their free time on “writing.”

And most importantly, a speech therapist can never be completely confident in the success of his work, since a lot depends not only on the level of his professionalism, but also on the desire and performance of the “patient” himself.

Where can you become a speech therapist?

Get a profession as a speech therapist it is possible in almost any pedagogical university, on the basis of which the department of speech therapy or the faculty of defectology operates. However, it is important to understand that choosing this profession means being prepared for a process of continuous learning - constant advanced training, monitoring and studying the latest methods and techniques for correcting speech defects, self-education in related areas (psychology, medicine, pedagogy, sociology, etc.).

The choice of educational institution largely depends on what goals you are pursuing. If you have chosen the profession of a speech therapist only because you are guaranteed to be able to find a job, then it does not matter which university you choose. If you have set yourself the task of achieving great success in your professional field, and the choice of profession is made at the behest of your soul and heart, then it is best to give preference to leading universities that provide not only a diploma, but also high-quality knowledge.

TO the best universities in Russia, which have proven themselves well among employers, today include.

Reference

“Speech therapy” is a word of Greek origin, it is translated as the education of correct speech. The profession of a speech therapist 50 years ago was considered rare, but this does not mean that people did not have speech defects before. Contemporaries of the 17th century thought seriously about this problem, but believed that only doctors could correct speech defects.

With the advent of speech therapists, a person acquired the opportunity to get rid of complexes caused by his incorrect speech and fully communicate with others.

Demand for the profession

Quite in demand

Representatives of the profession Speech therapist are quite in demand in the labor market. Despite the fact that universities produce a large number of specialists in this field, many companies and many enterprises require qualified Speech therapists.

Description of activity

Speech therapists work with both children and adults who have speech impairments (inability to pronounce certain sounds, stuttering, etc.). First of all, the specialist determines the cause of speech impediments. To do this, you need to know how the speech cavity is structured, how sounds are reproduced, and the voice is formed. Next, the speech therapist conducts a whole course of classes with the patient. He chooses exercises for them independently. All this work takes a lot of time: half a year or more.

Wage

average for Russia:Moscow average:average for St. Petersburg:

Uniqueness of the profession

Quite common

The majority of respondents believe that the profession Speech therapist cannot be called rare, in our country it is quite common. For several years now, there has been a demand in the labor market for representatives of the profession Speech therapist, despite the fact that many specialists graduate every year.

What education is needed

Higher professional education

Survey data show that to work in the profession Speech therapist You must have a diploma of higher professional education in the relevant specialty or in a specialty that allows you to work Speech therapist(related or similar specialty). Secondary vocational education is not enough to become Speech therapist.

Job responsibilities

To eliminate speech defects, a speech therapist must determine the cause of their occurrence. At the same time, he should also pay attention to the level of human development: how literate he is, and to what extent his vocabulary is rich. A good speech therapist knows everything about the correct position of the lips and tongue when speaking, he knows a lot of tongue twisters and exercises for working on speech - he actively uses all his skills while working with the patient. Classes with a speech therapist can be conducted individually (with one person) or in a group of people.

Type of labor

Exclusively mental work

Profession Speech therapist refers to professions exclusively mental (creative or intellectual work). In the process of work, the activity of sensory systems, attention, memory, activation of thinking and the emotional sphere is important. Speech therapists They are distinguished by their erudition, curiosity, rationality, and analytical mind.

Career Opportunities

Minimum career opportunities

According to the results of the survey, Speech therapists have minimal career opportunities. It doesn’t depend at all on the person himself, it’s just a profession Speech therapist does not have a career path.

A speech therapist corrects speech defects. To do this, he develops and uses individual programs for adults and children.

Wage

30,000–50,000 rub. (rabota.yandex.ru)

Place of work

Private practice, hospitals and clinics, schools, preschool institutions (preschool institutions), private and municipal kindergartens, speech and hearing correction centers.

Responsibilities

Children and adults turn to a speech therapist with various problems of pronunciation, reading and writing: stuttering, incorrect pronunciation of sounds, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.

The speech therapist selects exercises and massages, teaches how to speak and articulate correctly, eliminates lisps, burrs and stuttering.

As a rule, work lasts from six months to several years. It all depends on the complexity of the task and the age of the client. It is best to contact in childhood; problems are solved faster at the stage of growing up.

Important qualities

The profession of a speech therapist requires a lot of patience, because the work forces you to deal with various health problems. Maximum correctness, a sense of tact and goodwill are required.

Reviews about the profession

“It’s worth going to work as a speech therapist if only to see the face of the child for whom you set the sound, and who realized that he succeeded! You will never forget these smiles!”

Evgenia Zaichenko,
speech therapist with 10 years of experience.

Stereotypes, humor

Speech therapists are often called doctors, but in fact this specialty belongs to pedagogy. The profession is even recommended to people who are capable of overcoming difficulties.

Education

To become a speech therapist, you need to receive appropriate education, for example, at the Russian State Pedagogical University. A. I. Herzen (specialty “Speech Therapy”). The salary of a speech therapist directly depends on the qualifications of the specialist; it is necessary to improve the level through specialized courses.

Pedagogical universities in Moscow: Moscow Social Pedagogical Institute, Moscow City Psychological and Pedagogical University, Moscow State Regional University, Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow City Pedagogical University.

The children began to speak later and worse. This trend is noted by pediatricians, educators and parents themselves. In this regard, the profession of a speech therapist seems very promising, and many after school are wondering how to become a speech therapist. At the same time, many are driven by the desire to help children, making money is in second or subsequent place.

Training of speech therapists in universities

Speech therapists are trained at the Faculty of Defectology. For admission you will need to submit:

• composition;
• Russian and literature orally;
• biology (anatomy and general biology).

In addition to the exams, you will have to undergo an interview, during which you will not only be asked about the reasons that prompted you to choose the profession of a speech therapist, but will also pay attention to your speech.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, several higher educational institutions train speech therapists.

In Moscow:

• MPGU (formerly named after Lenin),
• MGGU (formerly MGOPU) named after. Sholokhov.

In St. Petersburg:

• RGPU named after. Herzen,
• ISPiP im. Raoul Wallenberg,
• Leningrad State University named after. A.S. Pushkin.

At the same time, the forms of training are different: full-time, evening, correspondence. However, successful speech therapists, who have extensive experience working in preschool institutions and have their own practice, say that the correspondence form does not give much and will not make you a great specialist.

The Institute organizes internships for students: in kindergarten, school or clinic; on-site classes in speech pathology centers and hospitals for children.

How to become a speech therapist in courses

Now there is a large selection of courses that will teach you the basics of speech therapy. The duration of the courses varies - from several months to a year. However, if you do not have a diploma from a higher educational institution, then you will not be able to work in a kindergarten as a speech therapist or anywhere else. And courses will not help here.

If you have a higher education, you can go to one-year courses preparing to become speech therapists or defectologists: in St. Petersburg - at the Wallenberg Institute, in Moscow - at Moscow State University for the Humanities. Sholokhov. In addition, in the capital you can undergo training at the Faculty of Retraining of Specialists, opened at Moscow State Pedagogical University. The training lasts only a year and was developed with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. You can choose who to become: a teacher of the deaf, a speech therapist, or a teacher working with mentally retarded children.

The contingent of those receiving a second degree as a teacher-speech therapist is completely different: there are both twenty-year-old young ladies and fifty-year-old ladies who, having worked their entire lives in a bank or other structure, realized that this was not their calling and decided to become speech therapists.

So, it's never too late to start. The main thing is desire! It’s worth going to work as a speech therapist if only “to see the face of the child for whom you set the sound, and who realized that he succeeded! You will never forget these smiles!” (writes Evgenia Zaichenko, speech therapist with 10 years of experience).

Beginning: 15000 ⃏ per month

Experienced: 20000 ⃏ per month

Professional: 60000 ⃏ per month

Demand for the profession

According to statistics, in the last decade there has been a sad trend: the number of children with certain speech problems is growing year by year. Moreover, this applies not only to oral speech, but also to written speech. Children are reading and writing worse and worse. Therefore, the specialty of a speech therapist will be in great demand for a long time.

Where to study to become a speech therapist in Moscow

Who is the profession suitable for?

The profession of a speech therapist is more suitable for people who enjoy communicating with people.

Career

You can rise to the position of manager in the place where you worked.

Responsibilities

Children and adults turn to a speech therapist with various problems of pronunciation, reading and writing: stuttering, incorrect pronunciation of sounds, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc. The speech therapist selects exercises and massages, teaches them to speak and articulate correctly, eliminates lisps, burrs and stuttering. As a rule, work lasts from six months to several years. It all depends on the complexity of the task and the age of the client. It is best to contact in childhood; problems are solved faster at the stage of growing up.