What is therapy and why does it matter?

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Speech Language Pathology is a field with a broad scope of expertise. Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) work with individuals of all ages from birth through end of life to help them maximize independence with communication, cognitive function, swallowing, voice, and self-advocacy. 

Access to SLP for children is critical to ensure that they are equipped with all the necessary skills to make their needs known, stand up for themselves, optimize learning, and grow into adulthood with the skills to navigate life independently. 

Adults receiving care from an SLP are often recovering from a catastrophic event like a stroke or head injury. For them, access to speech, language, memory, and swallow treatment can mean the difference between returning to independent life and relying on a caregiver. It can make a difference in a person's ability to return to work following  a tragic loss of function.

Access to Speech Language Pathology is also critical for transgender folks. Learning to use a voice that is congruent with their gender presentation can be life saving intervention. 

For more information visit the American Speech Language and Hearing Association

Occupational Therapy (OT) is beneficial for people across the lifespan and contrary to the initial impression from the name, it is not specifically related to work and career development. Occupations in this context are all the activities that occupy a person's time. This includes things people need and want to do such as making meals, dressing, eating, playing, going to school or work. Access to OT has the potential to drastically improve the quality of someone's life.

As expressed by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Occupational Therapy "considers the complex relationship between the individual, the activity, and the environment in which an activity takes place". Occupational Therapists (OTs) use their expertise to help children and adults learn or re-learn skills so they can participate in life in a fulfilling way. They also teach people how to adapt an environment so they can function better with fewer barriers.

OTs also support individuals with feeding, toileting, and sleep. It is essential that people have access to support for these life skills in a skilled and timely manner to maintain dignity and any quality of life. It is difficult to imagine doing anything if these basic life sustaining functions are not taken care of.

For more information visit the American Occupational Therapy Association

Physical Therapists are movement experts. 

Pediatric Physical Therapists (PTs) work with children and their families to develop, restore and improve mobility skills. Sometimes, this means helping children to improve strength, flexibility, and coordination. Other times it means finding and fitting the right kind of adaptive equipment to allow children to be mobile in alternative ways like, with a wheelchair, walker, or customized braces. 

Imagine how difficult it would be for a child to play with friends and develop relationships  if they could not keep up with them around the playground. Physical therapists help ensure children can physically access the world around them.

For adults, Physical Therapy can help to maintain physical function that is challenged by a disability, and they help to restore physical function for adults that have experienced an accident, injury, or illness that restricted their mobility. Access to physical therapy is access to pain management and recovery. It means that life is not finished because physical function was lost.

For more information visit the American Physical Therapy Association

Mental health support is for everyone. Counselors work with individuals of all ages, families, couples, and various groups. They help people to understand their behavior, emotions, and thoughts and help them to develop resilience, coping skills, and problem solving techniques.

Mental health challenges are just as prevalent in children. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 U.S. children aged 2–8 years had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder as of 2016. Poor mental health in children impacts their development, physical health, resilience, and ability to learn and likely to continue to impact them well into adulthood. Access to mental health support early ensures that not only children but also their families and community are as healthy as possible.

It is very common for people with increased healthcare needs , like children with developmental delays and their families or adults recovering from a stroke, to have excessive stressors in their lives that can lead to challenging mental health conditions. Access to timely care for these folks is essential for gaining or regaining whole body well-being and can often be a life saving intervention. 

Marginalized populations, like the transgender community, are more likely to need mental health support and less likely to have the resources to access it. Catalyst Community is aiming to change this.

For more information visit the American Counseling Association