In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Mary Woodward—speech-language therapist, justice and mental health specialist, and university lecturer based in Sydney—about why trauma-informed care belongs in every SLP’s toolkit, no matter where you practice. Mary shares what trauma actually means clinically, how it shows up in communication and behavior, and the core principles that can shift your sessions from unintentionally harmful to genuinely healing. This one’s for every SLP who’s ever wondered why a student shuts down, says “I don’t know,” or gets labeled non-compliant.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

• What trauma actually means clinically—and why it’s relevant to every SLP regardless of setting
• How trauma affects communication and what it might look like in your sessions
• Why labels like “non-compliant” and “unmotivated” are worth a second look
• How SLPs can accidentally cause harm—and the simple shifts that help
• What trauma-informed practice actually looks like inside a therapy room

Here’s what we learned: 

• Trauma-informed practice is good practice—for every student, every session.
• If a student doesn’t feel safe, learning isn’t happening.
• “I don’t know,” shutting down, and avoidance are nervous system responses, not attitude problems.
• Even small choices—where to sit, what order to do tasks—can restore a sense of control.
• The therapeutic relationship accounts for more of your outcomes than the tools you use.

Resources:

Strategies for Working With Students Who've Experienced Trauma: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/strategies-for-working-with-students-whove-experienced-trauma/full/ 

Insights Into Connecting With Students Experiencing Trauma: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.SCM.25112020.42/full/ 

A Pandemic's Pain: The Need for Trauma-Informed Services for Children: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FTR1.26102021.38/full/ 

Bruce Perry: https://www.bdperry.com 

Trauma-Informed Speech-Language Pathology: Application of Universal Precaution: https://journals.lww.com/topicsinlanguagedisorders/abstract/2025/01000/trauma_informed_speech_language_pathology_.2.aspx 

Learn more about Mary Woodward: 

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/woodwardmary 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

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