A Special Introduction from Mattie Murrey

Welcome to the coaching section!

Do you have questions and don’t know where to find the answers? Are you unsure what direction to take next?

Do you wish you had the attention of someone with years of experience in the area you need answers to?

Are you looking for resources so you can help yourself or your loved one and just need to be pointed in the right direction?

Are you losing sleep because you just don’t know what to do?

Then coaching might be for you because every great individual and support team needs a firm foundation.

Coaching gives you that foundation!

What is coaching and how is it different from therapy?

Just the fact that you are here and looking means you are searching out resources to help you as an individual, a parent, or a caregiver.

Therapy
In very basic terms, therapy focuses on assessing, diagnosing, and treating a disorder, delay, or challenge. As a speech-language pathologist, I work with communication, voice, swallowing, or cognitive disorders. Therapy also focuses 1:1 on the individual.

Therapy is led by me and involves a comprehension evaluation and development of both short and long term goals that will be targeted in therapy. This can be a time intensive process when done thoroughly and is commonly referred to as a Plan of Care.

Coaching
Still in basic terms, coaching focuses on identifying and describing current problems so that the individual, parent, or caregiver can modify them. Here, we work more together with a problem solving approach, seeking to understand how and when things are happening so we can address them.

Individual, parent, or caregiver coaching is led by you: share with me the difficulties you and your family member are having and I work along side you, providing you with answers and resources, and guiding you in your decision making process.

Therapy and coaching are the perfect pairing, much like pairing a meal with the perfect wine!

In a nutshell, therapy focuses on the “why” problems are occurring and coaching works on “how” to work that towards a goal.

I offer
I offer coaching to individuals, parents, and caregivers and sessions can be done in addition to therapy, separate from therapy or consecutively. It all depends on your wants and needs.

Individual, parent and caregiver coaching is JUST FOR YOU!
Let’s connect and figure out the next best step to take you in the direction you need to go.

I will help you see the big picture so you can focus on the smaller, important decisions.

Coaching for Individuals

Coaching for individuals: we focus on what you can do as an individual to target what you want to target.

Yeah, baby! This is all about you!

Individual coaching is for the individual who doesn’t need or want therapy but DEFINETLY has communication or voice challenges they want to work on with accountability.

Maybe you want to improve your singing voice.
Maybe you want to change your voice so it sounds more pleasant to your ear.
Any social language skills you want to brush up on?

The field is wide open and if it within my scope, I will certainly do my best.

Reach out and let’s chat and I’ll see what questions I can answer for you.

Coaching for Parents

Coaching for parents: we focus on how you can support yourself and your child with their challenges.

Parent Coaching
Without a parent coach, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost when trying to make sure you are doing everything possible to support your child.
Not feeling confident?
Are you still looking for answers?
Do you feel there has to be something more that you can do?

Parent coaching focuses on you, the partner in this journey, and teaches you how to come alongside and support both you and your child.
When you feel seen and heard and are able to name and pinpoint why you are feeling frustrated and what your ideal outcome is, the magic begins.
I can support you in the process by teaching you and modeling for you ways to understand and manage the challenges you are facing!

At coaching sessions, you will receive creative and functional ways to increase speech, language, voice, and eating development during activities that are already a part of your family’s routine.

Coaching for Caregivers

Coaching for caregivers: we focus on how you can support yourself and your loved one with their challenges.

Caregiver Coaching
Watching someone we love grow older and more vulnerable is a hard position to be in and it’s even harder when you feel unsure of where to turn for answers. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost when trying to make sure you are doing everything possible to support your partner or aging parent.
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Maybe your loved one has a diagnosis of dementia or Parkinson’s Disease or has had a stroke.

Wondering how to keep your loved one safe?
Afraid of what might be in store?
Unsure of your options or even where to begin?
Do you feel there has to be something more that you can do?

Caregiver coaching focuses on you, the partner in this journey, and teaches you how to come alongside and support yourself and your loved one.

These coaching sessions provide you with the strategies, tools, and resources you will need to succeed with your goals outside of therapy sessions. You will be stepping into your power as a caregiver.

Together, we unpack the challenges you are both facing and come up with an evidence-based approach for making life better.

Let me answer your questions.

You’ve got to think and solve problems differently than you ever have.
Let me answer your questions.

Sound familiar?

  • Feeling stressed and burned out?
  • Do you or someone in your family have trouble communicating with others?
  • Not sure your family member is as safe as they can be?
  • Confused with what they say or do?
  • Find that there are awkward moments during daily cares?
  • Unsure of where to turn for help?
  • Not sure how to get them to eat safely or even eat at all!
Learn how to:

  • Adjust to your child’s meltdown’s as they relate to their communication challenges
  • Target and improve the practical aspects of caregiving
  • Identify ways to keep your loved one as independent as possible
  • Learn effective communication strategies to understand what your family member needs and wants
  • Develop routines to minimize confusion and accidents
  • Help you recognize things you are capable of handling and when you need extra help
  • Find resources to help you help yourself
These coaching sessions provide you with the strategies, tools, and resources you will need to succeed with your goals outside of therapy sessions. You will be stepping into your power as an individual, parent, or caregiver.

Reasons for getting support

Communication Issues

To me, communication is vital. It’s how we connect and bond with one another. It is also one of the most difficult losses when you feel alone, or when it’s your child, aging partner, or parent. Knowing how to change how you communicate to match your own or your family member’s communication abilities is key to maximizing communication effectiveness. Think little ones here who cannot express what they want or need and meltdowns are frequent. Or think the older person who also cannot communicate their wants and needs and self-isolates.

Avoid Burnout & Stress
Stress and burnout can happen to the best of parents and caregivers, that’s why it is important to recognize the signs of knowing when you are reaching a breaking point. You might notice that your patience is shorter or you aren’t sleeping as well as you used to. Maybe you are tired all the time, feeling overwhelmed and depressed. Taking care of yourself is a way of taking care of your family member as well. It is okay to take care of yourself too.
Maximize Independence & Dignity
One of the hardest things about caring for someone who has been diagnosed with a major medical event or raising a child with a delay or disorder is maintaining that sense of person and not just seeing them now as the sum of their difficulties. Learn how to continue to help them maintain their independence and dignity and communicate their wants and needs. They still are such a valuable family member!
Improve Practical Aspects
When I was in high school, I remember seeing a poster in one of my classrooms. It said, “Working here is a lot like wetting your pants in a dark suit…no one knows you did it but it gives you a nice warm feeling.” I still laugh when I think about that poster. Being a parent of a caregiver is like that: it is a job of little thanks or notice but it gives you a nice warm feeling. (Hopefully) Learn ways to tackle your problems smarter, not harder.
Create a Safe Environment
“Safety First” is every caregiver’s motto. But sometimes that is easier said than done. Having trouble with all the many unsafe activities that happen during the day? All those close calls? Learning how to create a safe environment makes everyone happier.
Gain Confidence & Knowledge
Even though you may not be able to change the course of a disease or disorder, by understanding what you are dealing with and learning how and when to seek help, you will find that you gain confidence as you gain knowledge.
Minimize Disruptive Behaviors
When a child cannot communicate, for whatever reason, it is frustrating for all involved. Learn ways to understand and minimize your child’s disruptive behaviors by learning tools to help them help themselves
Trauma-Informed Approach
When you or a loved one have been through trauma, there is an additional need to understand what has happened to better understand how to move through the challenges as a result of the trauma. Learn ways to develop a different perspective, one of a trauma-informed approach.

Areas of experience

Communication Challenges

Memory Loss

Executive Function

Voicing Differences

Trouble Talking Loudly

Social Language Difficulties

Swallowing Difficulties

Behavior Difficulties

Academic Challenges

Eating Difficulties

Cognitive Difficulties

Gender Affirming Voice

Diagnoses covered

Adults

  • Stroke
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Voice Differences and Disorders
  • Dysarthria and Apraxia
  • Articulation Disorder
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Concussion
  • Dementia
Children and Adolescents

  • Feeding and Swallowing Difficulties
  • Speech Sound Disorder
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Social and Pragmatic Skills Disorder
  • Language Delay and Disorder

Pricing & packages

Each coaching session is about you. We will:

  1. Talk about what you want and need and how you are progressing towards your goals.
  2. Identify any resources you need.
  3. Target any areas needed for further education.
  4. Unpack any obstacles in your way to success

Coaching Sessions

Single:

$125

/ hour

Bundled:

(25% discount)

$350

/ 3 Hours

Getting Started is Easy

There are 3 ways to make that initial FREE connection!

 

Reach out today for your ease of mind and find the answers you have been looking for. 

I offer absolutely free, no-obligation phone consultations. I take the time to answer your questions and ensure we are the right fit to work together.
Get real answers and advice today, free of charge.