Working with Adults

Your client has non-fluent aphasia and you want to attempt melodic intonation therapy, but your client doesn't want to do it because "people don't sing when they talk." Instead of expecting your client to work on the skill just because you said so, take the time to explain to them that MIT is a means to an end - if we work on talking using MIT, eventually it could help rewire their brain and they won't have to "sing" all the time. Clients are much more willing to work on something they may think is silly if they understand the reason behind it and how it will help them long-term.

Does your client love cooking? History? Gardening? What do they do in their daily lives? If your client wants to be able to cook dinner for their family like they used to, maybe one of your goals could involve sequencing steps in a recipe or working on how to find a recipe they want to use. Likewise, if your client pays all their bills online, maybe working on how to write a check isn't that important to work on. We want to make sure we're helping our clients with the skills that will help make their lives as easy as possible.

Your client may know that they have had a stroke and now have aphasia, but they may not really know what that means. Part of our jobs as clinicians is to educate our clients on their disorder and what it means for them. Take the time to sit and explain to them what aphasia is, how it can be treated, and how you plan on working with them to improve their daily lives.