FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Speaking Your Best offers a variety of courses and classes from which to choose, as follows: Speech assessment: $125 First, each individual should receive an in-depth speech assessment to pinpoint their areas of strength and weakness in English, as well as their goals. The information obtained is put into a detailed written report. A free final assessment is provided at the end of all courses to document improvement. 7-week course: $650 This is Speaking Your Best's short course and is designed for individuals with minor speech differences, or for those who have a specific goal in mind. It consists of 7 one-hour private classes conducted via Skype or telephone. 12-week course: $1050 This is Speaking Your Best's most popular course and is designed for individuals who are difficult to understand and have several areas of weakness in English. It consists of 12 one-hour private classes conducted via Skype or telephone. 24-week course: $1850 This is Speaking Your Best's long course, which is designed for individuals with significant speech differences, and for individuals who want to work on several areas. Many individuals choose this program because they wish to work at a slower rate, and use some of the classes for maintenance of newly learned speaking skills. It consists of 24 one-hour private classes using Skype or telephone.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Every speech pathologist is required to participate in continuing education by take classes, attending workshops, and participating in conferences to stay on top of the latest developments and techniques in the field of speech pathology. This is important, as we want to make sure that we are providing the best service possible. For me, this extra training is two-fold: I must fulfill requirements to maintain my state license, as well as my national certification. Each state provides a variety of options for continuing education. The most beneficial, I find, is the state convention for speech pathology and audiology, as well as the national convention of ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association).
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I began my professional career as a speech pathologist by receiving my master's degree in this area. A speech pathologist is a trained professional who works with individuals of all ages that have speech and/or language disorders. I obtained both my state license and national certification by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). This certification is needed for private practice. Early in my career, I began working with some friends of mine who spoke English as a second language. They were difficult to understand and asked me to help them with their spoken English. Being a speech pathologist, I had the training and expertise necessary to provide them with the training they needed to become effective speakers. I soon realized after beginning my work with accent reduction that I excelled in this area, and this was my passion! Keep in mind that this was about 30 years ago, when working with individuals who spoke English as a second language was virtually unheard of! Gradually, I expanded my practice to full time and eventually developed my own program for communication skills training. I founded Speaking Your Best in 2005 and continue to dedicate my time to working with individuals, both American and speakers of English as second language.