Advocating for yourself and setting professional boundaries requires a lot of self-awareness and practice. As you start your SLP CF job, it’s super important that you recognize the challenges you will face when navigating these boundaries. It just comes with the territory. Anytime you start doing something new, there are learning curves and finding the balance may take a while.

You can get ahead of this learning curve by educating yourself before starting the position. As you prepare for the SLP CF job (whether you’re interviewing or have a start date), here are some things to remember.

Let’s start by defining professional boundaries and why they are important. Professional boundaries are the guidelines, rules, and limits to our scope of practice and the way we conduct ourselves in a professional manner. Maintaining these boundaries is a must when it comes to our interactions with clients and any other professionals we may encounter.

• Know and communicate your availability.
• Establish clear communication between yourself and your supervisor (check out this episode for more info on encouraging communication with your co-workers and caregivers!)
• Set your work hours and stick with them!
• Be sure that everyone clearly understands their roles and expectations.

Setting professional boundaries and advocating for yourself isn’t just about protecting yourself. It also creates a safe and supportive environment for everyone to thrive.

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