You’ve worked hard in school and reached the point where it is time to put your new knowledge into practice. Moving from the university classroom into a clinical fellowship is an exciting transition – giving you hands-on experience that will prepare you to start your new career.

Not only is choosing the right CFY program critical to your success, but also consider how your intention and efforts will affect your results in the future. As you step into this new chapter, hold onto clear goals so you can gain the best knowledge and skills during your fellowship year.

5 Goals for Your Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY)

This 36-week program prepares students to move into real-life career opportunities, with ongoing application and training that will support their future. This fellowship is required to achieve your Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP) through ASHA, the American Speech and Hearing Association.

While it’s essential to complete the requirements to gain certification, there are other goals you will achieve through this program:

1. Integrate Academic Learning: After spending years in the classroom, it’s time to implement your education and skills. Moving into a practice environment helps you see real-world examples of how your new knowledge is essential for your ongoing career.
2. Hone in Areas of Opportunity: This hands-on experience provides clarity to help you identify your strong points as well as areas of improvement. The opportunity to work under supervision is a great way to receive feedback and advice to improve your skills and approach as an SLP.
3. Improve Clinical Skills: Understanding the textbook principles is just the first step in your education. Your CFY is the time to learn the clinical skills and techniques to use for patient care. Integrating the concepts and stratigies you learned in graduate school into managing a full-time SLP caseload will be a key goal of your CFY.
4. Transition to Independence: During your CFY, you will spend a lot of time working under the supervision of a certified SLP. This supervision creates the opportunity for transition to start working as an independent Speech-Language Pathology practitioner. By the end of your CFY you should have the tools and confidence to practice independently.
5. Complete Certification Requirements: The CCC-SLP requires you to meet specific requirements before earning certification, such as 1,260 hours of supervision, 80% of your time focused on patient care, supervision from an approved mentor, and an evaluation to measure core skills.

Anxiety disorders occur on a spectrum and can impact children in a variety of ways. Some children may deal with low levels of apprehension, while other children develop severe and intense anxiety. While students with anxiety will benefit from the following recommendations, consider implementing them in larger groups such as classrooms or group therapy. This promotes an inclusive environment from which all learners can benefit.

1. Use structure:

Incorporate daily and weekly routines to help children learn what to expect. Post schedules in a visible area. This is especially important for older children who have rotating or complex schedules.

2. Provide a ‘just right’ challenge:

Allow students to learn and grow while building their self-confidence. Grade your activities so that they are just challenging enough to stretch the child’s learning.

3. Offer choice:

By using a topic, subject, or medium that is exciting to students, they will naturally gravitate toward engagement. Especially when an assignment or activity is new and daunting, a small piece of choice can motivate children toinitiate the task.

4. Use positive feedback:

Positive reinforcement signals to children that they are doing what is expected and can be a great way to boost the confidence of children who have anxiety. Feedback can be in the form of a token system, a smile, nod, or words of affirmation.

5. Teach challenging skills:

Sometimes, learners need extra direction. Direct instruction can be a great way to improve skills and, therefore, confidence for activities with a physical component, such as writing or playing a sport.

6. Use clear expectations:

Letting students know exactly what you expect is a great way to communicate mutual respect. Particularly when a project or activity is brand new, knowing the outcome will be helpful to children with anxiety.

7. Be flexible about participation:

Try making group participation optional. Let students know that they can contribute to the conversation when they are ready and that you will not call on them.

8. Eliminate busywork:

A child working on fractions does not need to complete 100 problems to master the skill and demonstrate competence.

9. Identify strengths:

Use one-on-one time to reflect on past successes, strengths, passions, and skills.

10. Teach self-management:

Another strategy that students with and without anxiety disorders can benefit from is self-management skills. Talk about self-regulation, brainstorm symptoms of being dysregulated, develop language, and teach strategies.

Learn more: cbstherapy.com/