The Professor is In

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Re: Multidisciplinary treatment team

From: John Tetnowski
Date: 16 Oct 2006
Time: 15:00:14 -0500
Remote Name: 130.70.154.61

Comments

Ed, I do hope that you realize that many of us (I might even say most of us) do have the best interest of the PWS at heart. In regards to your response, I REALLY think we are arguing for the same thing, i.e., providing everything that is needed for the PWS to be successful (I would also add, "and nothing else"). What I mean by that is, many people who stutter need a counselor, a coach, maybe an occupational therapist, maybe a psychiatrist....however, many do not. I think that the individual case and the skills of the individual clinician will make that decision for us. I hope you realize that we SLPs have been working in team settings for a long time and do not have a problem with it (as you seem to be insinuating.........and I am not being defensive, just truthful). Have you seen SLPs who work as part of a cleft palate team? I myself have worked on a rehabilitation team where the roles of PT, OT, SLP, social worker, etc. are quite fuzzy. We all worked together for the betterment of the patient. Does it work better? In some cases "yes", but in other cases it can be a waste of time and resources. I have been in situations (as part of a team) where I have been asked to do things that I am not trained to do. (e.g., stretching exrcises as part of a PT regime.....I think the PT is much better equipped to do this than me, evn though they "showed me how to do it"). When I would say "no" to working with a patient because it was outside my expertise, I was looked at as a rebel..... or "not a team player". If everyone was well trained in all areas, this might work, but as the other John has said, try to find other professionals outside of SLP who are trained to work with PWS (especially if it is outside of a large urban area). If I can use his name, I think that Phil Schneider is better equipped to work as a counselor with a PWS than most other professional counselors. Van Riper probably was as well. I am just not convinced that every PWS needs a team. And I AM NOT LAZY, when I say that. I work very hard for my clients (and just to let you know, I see also them for FREE!). I make referrals and work with other professionals when needed......but I do not work with a team, just to say that I am working with a team. I DO think it would be interesting to see if a team approach is indeed more efficacious. I bet it would for some, but I bet it would make no difference for just as many. Remember, even Van Riper talked about subtypes of PWS. To be fair, I DO AGREE WITH YOU ON SOME ISSUES. I think specialty certification is a step in the right direction. I am looking forward to seeing the data however. Even though I am one of those BRS-FD, I really want to see the data that proves I get better outcomes than a non-specialist. I hope the data supports specialty recognition, but it is still not available. I ALSO AGREE with you on the point of putting together a list of other professionals who are qualified to help treat stuttering. The SFA maintains lists of qualified SLPs in each area. Maybe you can persuade them to put together lists of other professionals who are skilled with working with PWS. Personally, I would love to have access to that list for the people that I work with. It would be an incredibly valuable resource for the people who truly need an interdisciplinary team. Finally, I would like to know how YOU WOULD determine who really needs a complete team. Personally, I use a complete profile (I would be more than willing to send it to you if you would like....my e-mail is tetnowski@louisiana.edu). I wonder if you or others have an effective way of detemining these needs of the clients. Finally, let me say that the tone of this response may seem defensive and confrontational. It's really not. I am intrigued and interested by your comments. I hope we can continue this discussion in a fruitful manner. One last point......I did try to read the reference that you gave me and the link is incorrect somehow. Can you give me the correct address so that I can read your paper. Thanks. John Tetnowski


Last changed: 10/23/06