What does a Speech Therapist do?
A Speech Therapist, also known as a Speech Language Pathologist, is a healthcare professional who works with individuals to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders. Their primary goal is to help people improve their communication skills and quality of life. They may work with clients of all ages, from infants to the elderly, in a variety of settings such as hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and private practices. Some of the tasks a Speech Therapist may perform include designing treatment plans, conducting assessments, providing therapy sessions, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to ensure a holistic approach to care.
Our Speech Therapist job description includes the Speech Therapist responsibilities, duties, skills, education, qualifications, and experience.
Speech Therapist Example
Our Job Advertising Packages
Choose the best package, edit the advert and post your job!
| Starter | Premium | Corporate | National | Branded | Resourcer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reed | ||||||
| Indeed Sponsored | ||||||
| Monster | ||||||
| Google Jobs | ||||||
| Glassdoor | ||||||
| LinkedIn Jobs | ||||||
| Totaljobs | ||||||
| Jobsite | ||||||
| Guardian Jobs | ||||||
| CV-Library | ||||||
| Industry boards | ||||||
| CV Targeting* | ||||||
| many more | ||||||
| £99 | £199 | £329 | £349 | £399 | £599 | |
| Job Advert Package + Flat Fee Recruitment Services | ||||||
| CV Filtering | ||||||
| Video Interviewing | ||||||
| Interview Scheduling | ||||||
| £799 | £799 | £929 | £949 | £999 | £1199 | |
If you need an example job description for a Speech Therapist download the one below, alternatively we have many other Healthcare job description samples and a job description library with over 3000 job descriptions templates that you can download for free.
What does a Speech Therapist do?
A Speech Therapist works with individuals to assess, diagnose and treat speech, language, communication and swallowing difficulties. They design and implement therapy programmes to help improve their clients’ communication, enabling them to communicate with more clarity and confidence. Speech Therapists work with people of all ages, including children and adults, as well as with people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, autism, aphasia and other neurological difficulties. They may also provide advice and support to family members, teachers, carers and other professionals.
Speech Therapist Role Purpose
The purpose of a Speech Therapist is to assess, diagnose and treat individuals who have difficulties with communication, language and/or swallowing. The Speech Therapist works with clients of all ages, from infants to the elderly, to improve their quality of life by helping them to develop and maintain safe and effective communication and swallowing. This may involve working with individuals with a range of conditions, such as autism, cleft palate, hearing impairment, stroke, dementia and cerebral palsy, as well as those with language delays or difficulties. Speech Therapists also provide advice, support and training to clients, their families, carers, teachers and other professionals.
Speech Therapist Role
A Speech Therapist is responsible for assessing, diagnosing and treating speech, language and communication problems in individuals of all ages. They use a variety of techniques, including counselling, modelling and augmentative communication systems, to help clients overcome learning difficulties and improve their overall communication skills.
Speech Therapist Duties
- Assess, diagnose and treat speech, language and communication problems
- Carry out assessments of clients and interpret results
- Develop treatment plans and goals for clients
- Work with clients to develop communication skills, such as articulation and pronunciation, voice, language and fluency
- Provide advice and support to families and other professionals
- Keep accurate and up-to-date records of clients' assessments and progress
Speech Therapist Requirements
- A relevant degree in Speech and Language Therapy
- Current HCPC registration and membership
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Good organisational skills
Speech Therapist Skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to develop rapport with clients
- Ability to work with a range of people
- Knowledge of speech and language development
- Understanding of a range of rehabilitation techniques
Speech Therapist Personal Traits
- Excellent communication skills
- Patience
- Empathy
- Ability to motivate and support clients
- Knowledge of different communication methods
How to write a Speech Therapist Job Advert
Use our job advert template to write a job advert for posting on job sites and job boards. Our job advertising templates are carefully created to help you reach your audience and beat the competition to the best talent.
A job description informs the reader about a job, whereas a job advert’s main objective is to sell the job opportunity to attract as many suitable applicants possible. A job advert maybe the first touch-point a candidate has with your company so it is important to create a great impression.
Job Advertisements should enticing, so considering using short, exciting language which get the reader’s attention.
How to write a Speech Therapist Job Description
To write a job description, we recommend starting with a job description template from our job description library, which contains examples for 800+ positions and professions. Our job description examples include a job summary with duties and responsibilities and skills and requirements, which can be personalised for your job vacancy.
Job Description Advice - Guidance on How to Personalise a Speech Therapist Job Specification
The hiring process and recruiting new employees to fill your key roles requires a degree of personalisation if you are to attract the best employees in a competitive employment market. The right person for a crucial role or more senior roles will likely have other employers targeting them. As your job description will be the first point of contact, you need to nail your pitch and provide the best possible service.
Job Description Tips - Help on formatting a Speech Therapist Job Specification
When creating your bespoke description and advert, you should cover and promote these points:
Job title: This should accurately reflect the role and include keywords that top talent might be using to search for jobs.
Job duties: The day to day duties, such as administrative tasks, which vary depending on the company and inform the candidate if they can complete the role.
Technical skills: These are the hard skills required through training, such as proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Soft skills: These include the interpersonal skills and general abilities the right candidates will possess. For example, the competency to prioritise multiple tasks, handle customer queries and customer complaints, work alone, or build a good relationship with coworkers.
The company's culture: Highlighting your company culture and values ensures employees thrive and find outstanding job satisfaction. Candidates that are not the right fit won’t waste their time completing the application process, meaning you can focus on qualified individuals and hire in a more timely manner.
Career progression: Including the career path will entice candidates looking for career growth.
Training and development programs: Smaller companies may need employees with previous experience or provide educational assistance over internal training offered by larger organisations with more significant resources.
Employee benefits: Compensation and benefits often fail to appear in job ads and while you may want to hold your cards close to your chest, failing to include them is a mistake. Consider answering common questions, such as working hours and paid leave. Researching the average salary for the role in these early stages will ensure you don’t waste your interviewer’s and the candidate’s time.
Skill gaps: Your company may need to bring in new skills beyond those required to complete the key role and duties. Thinking on an organisational level can be beneficial when contemplating skills diversity.
Legal requirements: Ensure your job advert and description does not ask for inappropriate or discriminatory personal details, such as age, marital status, or religion.
How to Hire a Speech Therapist
Once you have selected your Job Description download it or convert it to a Job Advert. From here you can post/advertise your job across our network of job boards. If you wish to use the job description for a CV Template click through for advice and Convert to a CV
