with chronic aphasia. During that
time, I learned how to adapt my clinical skills from those that
work best with traditional one-to-one therapy to those needed to
facilitate group therapy. Those skills are really very different--I
had to learn that the clinician shouldn't provide all the cues and
prompts, I found it was often more effective to turn to the other
group members and ask, "Who else can find a way for Mary to get
her message across?" I began to see amazing things happen in my
groups that I never saw happen in all my years of one-to-one therapy.
Q: What kind
of things did you see happening in groups?
A: In group therapy, members
observe each other using a variety of ways to get their message
across. Frequently, a participant will try a new strategy through
this modeling process. Because I haven't had a stroke, my "advice"
only went so far, whereas when it came from other group members
it was so much more meaningful. I've really enjoyed watching our
graduate student interns learn the specialized skills needed to
facilitate groups.
Q: Why do
you think it's important for interns to learn to work with groups
before they graduate?
A: I think that group therapy
will have an increasing role in treatment options as our healthcare
model continues to evolve. I also believe that just because you're
a good individual therapist, you can't assume you'll have the
skills and strategies needed to facilitate groups successfully.
Q: So tell
me a little bit about you and your life.
A: I've been married to my
high school sweetheart for 18 years. He's always supported my
passion for our field. After graduate school, I was offered a
traineeship at the Veteran's Medical Center in Martinez where
I worked on a clinical research grant examining the use of technology
to provide services to patients unable to reach the hospital for
therapy. I'm proud to have worked in a Veteran's setting, as the
V.A. has supported a vast amount of the research that has been
done in the field of aphasia. It was an excellent training ground
for a new clinician.
Q: And your
kids?
A: I have an 11 year old daughter,
Jennifer, and an eight year old son, Ben. They both enjoy coming
to the center and interacting with our members who are so caring
and kind to them. The people down in the snack bar have nicknamed
the kids, "the Junior Senior Citizens." I love the exposure that
my children are getting to such a wide age range. Jennifer understands
aphasia and is very good at explaining it to her friends. I'm
really proud that both my kids can use the word aphasia in their
vocabulary.
Q: Can you
think of anything else you would like to mention?
A: Well, just that I can't
think of another setting in which I'd rather be working. I think
that the work we do at the center has made a significant impact
on the lives of people who have aphasia. My feelings about this
have intensified ever since my mom had her two strokes. I have
a deeper understanding of what it means to provide a community
for someone again.
