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I often trace back to my work back in Juanita, my speech and language therapist when I was four years old, growing up in Romford, Essex. I can still remember her and the activities she shared with me. When I was asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was always the same: a speech and language therapist – long before I understood what that would truly mean.
After graduating from City University of London in 2010, I spent several years living and working internationally. I worked as a live-in nanny supporting children with a wide range of developmental differences, from speech sound difficulties to rare genetic syndromes. Living day-to-day life alongside families gave me a deep appreciation that meaningful support must extend beyond the therapy room and into real relationships, routines and environments.
It was during my time living in Cambodia that my thinking about communication shifted most profoundly. I experienced first-hand what it was like to communicate with limited language – speaking Khmer with poor articulation, restricted vocabulary and basic grammatical understanding – yet still finding ways to connect and be understood. This sparked a deeper curiosity about what underpins communication beyond words and what allows humans to connect socially even when language is limited.
After two years in Cambodia, I moved to Singapore. My work there brought together my interest in social communication with a growing understanding of neurology and child development. It was during this time that I undertook extensive training in Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based (DIR) practice, which continues to inform my clinical thinking. In 2016, I returned to the UK to bring back this experience and perspective back into my work here.
I am deeply grateful to the mentors who have shaped, and continue to shape, my understanding of this work and support the development of my clinical thinking. Equally, my practice continues to evolve through close collaboration with families. Parents are caregivers bring invaluable insight from problem-solving communication challenges in everyday life, often within significant constraints. This shapes and strengthens my thinking everyday.
Today, my work focuses on supporting complex communication – particularly where communication is closely linked to regulation, relationships and development. I work alongside children, families and wider systems to better understand communication in context, so that participation, confidence and resilience can grow in ways that feel safe, meaningful and achievable.
If you are concerned about any aspects of your child’s speech and language development, please do not hesitate to contact me.
info@racheljosephslt.com
+44 (0)7954945362
© Rachel Joseph SLT 2022 All Rights Reserved
