SLP Coffee Talk

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Ana Hernandez—SLP and founder of Adult Stuttering—about why she ditched fluency therapy and never looked back. Ana breaks down the adaptation effect, why you can’t sit in the middle ground, and what it actually looks like to run an affirming stuttering session from start to finish. If stuttering has always felt like uncharted territory, this one’s your map.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why the middle ground between fluency and acceptance is hurting your students
The adaptation effect and why fluency strategies fail in real life
Using the five stages of behavioral change to meet students where they are
Ditching “bumpy speech” and reframing how we talk about stuttering
Starting sessions with a positive speaking moment

Here’s what we learned: 
You can’t tell a kid their stutter is okay and drill fluency strategies in the same session.
Fluency strategies don’t fail because the student didn’t try hard enough—they’re just unreliable by design.
Safety comes before progress. Some kids need the whole session just to feel okay being in the room.
“Stutter” is not a bad word. “Bumpy speech” is out.
If you’re shifting away from fluency therapy, just tell your student. Kids love honesty.

Learn more about Ana Hernandez: 

Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/adult-stuttering
Website: www.adultstuttering.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adultstuttering/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adultstuttering-ana/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adultstuttering
Adult Stutter – Goals List: https://adultstuttering.myflodesk.com/slpgoals 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie finally tells her own story. From an undecided freshman at University of Buffalo to accidentally falling in love with speech pathology through a friend doing phonetics homework in the library, to getting peed on the morning of her one job interview in 2009 — yeah, that happened. If you’ve been listening for a while and always wondered how Speech Time Fun actually started, this one’s for you.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

How Hallie stumbled into speech pathology sophomore year — completely by accident
Why her CF year in preschool was the push she needed to find her people
The one student who forced her to rethink everything she thought she knew
How a Pinterest gap in 2012 turned into Speech Time Fun, Teachers Pay Teachers, and eventually SLP Elevate
The boardwalk conversation in 2023 that made it all official

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  
📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 
Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Victoria Dertouzos—SLP and founder of Speech and Stuttering Therapy of New Jersey—about why stuttering therapy looks so different than it used to, and why that’s a good thing. Victoria breaks down what a modern, neurodiversity-affirming approach to stuttering actually looks like in practice, how to assess what you’ve been missing, and what to say to students who’ve never felt heard in a therapy room. If stuttering therapy isn’t your jam, this one’s for you.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why fluency-chasing has let down generations of people who stutter—and what to do instead
What covert stuttering is and why your assessment might be missing it
How secondary behaviors develop—and why they’re not actually part of the stutter
What to ask a student who stutters before anything else
How to handle teachers and parents who just want it “fixed”
What a neurodiversity-affirming stuttering session actually looks like

Here’s what we learned: 
You can reduce the struggle around stuttering—but you can’t remove the stutter itself.
If you’re only counting disfluencies, you’re missing the whole picture.
A student who seems fine might be switching words, skipping answers, and falling behind without anyone noticing.
Say “stuttering”—not “bumpy speech.” Normalizing the word helps normalize the experience.
Ask the student what they think before you ask what they do. That’s where therapy actually starts.

Learn more about Victoria Dertouzos: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stutteringtherapyslp/a 
Website: https://www.stutteringtherapynj.com 
Supporting Preschoolers Who Stutter: A Teacher's Guide: https://sstnj.myflodesk.com/fssfj7n1d8 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Mary Woodward—speech-language therapist, justice and mental health specialist, and university lecturer based in Sydney—about why trauma-informed care belongs in every SLP’s toolkit, no matter where you practice. Mary shares what trauma actually means clinically, how it shows up in communication and behavior, and the core principles that can shift your sessions from unintentionally harmful to genuinely healing. This one’s for every SLP who’s ever wondered why a student shuts down, says “I don’t know,” or gets labeled non-compliant.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

What trauma actually means clinically—and why it’s relevant to every SLP regardless of setting
How trauma affects communication and what it might look like in your sessions
Why labels like “non-compliant” and “unmotivated” are worth a second look
How SLPs can accidentally cause harm—and the simple shifts that help
What trauma-informed practice actually looks like inside a therapy room

Here’s what we learned: 

Trauma-informed practice is good practice—for every student, every session.
If a student doesn’t feel safe, learning isn’t happening.
“I don’t know,” shutting down, and avoidance are nervous system responses, not attitude problems.
Even small choices—where to sit, what order to do tasks—can restore a sense of control.
The therapeutic relationship accounts for more of your outcomes than the tools you use.

Resources:

Strategies for Working With Students Who've Experienced Trauma: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/strategies-for-working-with-students-whove-experienced-trauma/full/ 
Insights Into Connecting With Students Experiencing Trauma: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.SCM.25112020.42/full/ 
A Pandemic's Pain: The Need for Trauma-Informed Services for Children: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FTR1.26102021.38/full/ 
Bruce Perry: https://www.bdperry.com 
Trauma-Informed Speech-Language Pathology: Application of Universal Precaution: https://journals.lww.com/topicsinlanguagedisorders/abstract/2025/01000/trauma_informed_speech_language_pathology_.2.aspx 

Learn more about Mary Woodward: 

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/woodwardmary 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 
Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Emily Byers Chaney—pediatric SLP, private practice owner, and neurodiversity affirming advocate—about why following directions goals might not be telling you what you think they are. Emily shares how working alongside Jessie Ginsburg shifted her entire clinical lens, what’s really happening when a child doesn’t follow a direction, and how to build therapy that’s meaningful, motivating, and actually carries over. This one’s for every SLP who’s ever wondered if there’s a better way to work on receptive language.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why following directions tasks often measure compliance—not comprehension
What neurodiversity affirming therapy looks like compared to compliance-based approaches
How dysregulation, executive functioning, and sensory needs can all interfere with following a direction
What PDA profile is and how demands affect those students differently
Why adult-directed tasks are less effective—and what to do instead

Here’s what we learned: 
Comprehension ≠ compliance. A child can understand and still not follow through.
Connection first. Safety and relationship aren’t a detour—they’re the work.
Go beyond the assessment. Play-based observation reveals what standardized testing misses.
Watch for overcompliance. Too much compliance-focused therapy can erode autonomy and self-advocacy.
One small shift. You don’t have to overhaul everything—just start somewhere.

Learn more about Emily Byers Chaney: 
Website: https://www.ndaffirmingslp.com 
Website: https://www.boundlessspeech.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ndaffirming.slp/ 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  
📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets