By speech and language therapist Bethany Potter
My name’s Beth and I’m one of the Magic Words therapists based at our new Cambridge clinic within Chestnuts Nursery.
My first experience of speech and language therapy was not as a therapist but as a child with speech sound difficulties. I was struggling to say sounds in words like ‘cat’…especially difficult when your favourite film is the Aristocats!
I remember not wanting to go to therapy sessions because I would have to just sit and say the sounds I found really difficult; it felt like failing and was no fun at all. Now when planning sessions as a therapist, this memory is what drives me to create fun, interactive sessions where children don’t even realise it’s therapy!
Before studying to become a speech and language therapist I studied English Language and Linguistics. I developed an in depth understanding of child language acquisition and phonetics; this increased my interest in the world of speech and language therapy. Following this, I worked as a teaching assistant supporting children with a range of needs such as deafness and hearing impairment, ADHD, and dyslexia. I had always had an interest in speech and language therapy, but it was my role as a teaching assistant that really sparked my passion and I decided to go back to studying and start my career.
The field of speech and language is so diverse and broad. I love working with all types of speech, language and communication difficulties. I have a particular love for working with early years, speech sound difficulties, language delay and hearing impairment. I’m sure this will only continue to grow throughout my career!
Outside of my working day as a speech therapist, I enjoy yoga, running and exploring the world! My most recent trip was to Peru including the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a home stay on Lake Titicaca and a visit to the Amazon!
