Purpose
The purpose of this clinical focus article is to encourage speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to shift their operational framework as students grow from childhood to adulthood by focusing on three pillars of interaction: motivation, rapport, and resilience. We need to foster greater independence and interpersonal skills in older students, but researchers have not explained how to help SLPs successfully transition their intervention strategies. Here, we identify three pillars of adolescent therapy—motivation, rapport, and resilience—to help clinicians shift their perspective from childhood to adulthood. We rely on social constructivism to guide practice and argue that client-centered models of therapy are more appropriate than therapist-centered models for adolescent students. For each pillar, we discuss clinician behaviors, student results, and clinical implications.
Conclusions
By strengthening these three pillars of interaction, clinicians can shift their focus toward client-centered therapy models and facilitate skills students need in adulthood. Strengthening skills related to motivation, rapport, and resilience will help support more symmetrical and flexible clinical partnerships in adolescent students with communication disorders.
