Circle Speech Therapy

Hello all! Just checking in to say I am here! I am just wrapping up my semester at UMD. I taught my first solo class and worked with an amazing group of first year graduates in their first clinical experiences. I also had my first "real" semester of my EdD program at CSS. It was a LOT on my plate. Wishing you all the best as we end this year and start anew in 2024.

Here's a little update about things at Circle. I am done with my year at UMD and onto summer things. I am doing some fill in work at Essentia for the next couple weeks and getting kiddos scheduled for the summer. I am doing a math/literacy/language enrichment camp with Melody Poggio Tutoring in July (not sure why I can't tag her). There are still spots available! It will be great fun.

I am embarking on a new adventure in a few weeks, I am back in school at the College of St. Scholastica for my Doctorate of Educational Leadership. I am taking my lifelong love of learning to a new level. I have taken three semesters of electives (learning all about literacy) and in June will start the EdD courses with my cohort. It is a program rooted in social justice and leadership. I will learn (and already have learned) so many good things.

Spent the morning learning about Marianne’s Heart of Literacy program at Great Minds Learning Center with Mel. Lots of great ideas for our summer enrichment program. Visit Melody Poggio Tutoring for more information!

One year ago today I announced that Circle was live. I was nervous about my business model and, if I am being honest, announced so I would not chicken out. One year later, I love the clients I have been seeing and adore that I can do speech therapy exactly how I choose. I have big dreams for my little practice and am excited to see where it goes.

I clearly am not a good social media user. It's been a busy year at UMD (technically my first "real" year as a clinical supervisor), but now I am thinking about summer. Circle will have some openings for consultations, evaluations and direct therapy May, June, July and August. I am also doing a three week Literacy group with Melody Poggio Tutoring in July.

Please contact me (218-391-6868 or [email protected]) with any inquiries or questions!

I discovered that calls to 218-391-6868 have not been getting through to me or to leave a message. The issue has been fixed. Please call or reach out again if you have attempted but were unable in the last week. Thanks so much.

Happy August everyone! I know it has been a while since I have posted. It's been a busy summer. Melody Poggio Tutoring and I finished up with our literacy camps two weeks ago. Our maiden voyage was so much fun and we look forward to doing them next summer.

I have had great fun with several clients through Circle this summer and will have time starting in September to add a few more if needed. I head back to UMD in a few weeks and look forward to working with our new crew of graduate students. This summer has gone by quickly, but it has been a good one.

Only one day after I hoped (and putting it here for accountability), but I am officially ready to start seeing some kiddos. Don't forget about the Literacy Groups I am doing with Melody Poggio Tutoring. There are still spots available.

You can call 218-391-6868 or email [email protected] with any inquiries!

So what does a speech language pathologist do anyway? I know many of you are navigating here from my personal page and may now know what a speech therapist does. That seems like a good place to start after an introduction.

A speech language pathologist can also be known as an SLP or a speech therapist. I often prefer "speechie," but that is a much more casual term than some like. We work with disorders or delays that affect communication including;

-challenges with understanding what is said to people (receptive language)
-using symbols (words, pictures, signs) to communicate needs (expressive language),
- saying speech sounds correctly (articulation)
- communication challenges secondary to a cognitive impairment or altered cognitive state (cognitive-linguistic therapy)
- disorders affecting vocal chords which may cause abnormal breathing or a hoarse voice (voice)
- challenges with speaking smoothly (fluency)
- challenges with airflow being directed out the mouth or nose so speech is understood (resonance)
- challenges with feeding and swallowing
- challenges with reading and writing
- challenges resulting from hearing loss
- challenges in using language in a social context

Our job as speech language pathologists is to assess a person's current functioning through formal testing and informal measures and talking with the client and their caregivers to determine how that challenge affects their daily life and formulating a treatment plan to address those challenges. We use a variety of evidence based treatment strategies to help our clients do those things better.

There is so much more to what we do as SLPs, but that is it in a very simple nutshell. I'll cover more in future posts! Stay tuned.

I am collaborating with my friend Melody at Melody Poggio Tutoring for a 1x/week six week literacy camp for three different age groups beginning Mid-June . We've been doing lots of planning and it will be a fun way to gain some vocabulary, writing and reading skills!

She is doing math camps for a variety of ages too. Your kids will not even realize how much they are learning! Head over to Melody's site to sign up. Spots will fill up fast!
https://www.melodypoggiotutoring.com/summer-camp-information

Summer Camp Information | Melody Poggio Tutor June 23 -July 28. Taught in conjunction with Nena Johnson, MA-CCC, SLP. Grades 2-3   9:00-10:30 am Grades 4-5 11:00-12:30 pm Grades 6-8   1:00-  2:30 pm

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nena Johnson, speech language pathologist (SLP) and owner of Circle Speech Therapy. I have worked at a medical facility in Duluth, MN since I graduated with my master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of MN-Duluth in 1998. Pediatrics is where my heart is and with the exception of a short stint at a skilled nursing facility right out of college, I have been working with children my entire career. A majority of my time was spent in a pediatric outpatient clinic working with a variety of children birth to 18 years of age. Within the last 10 years, I spent half of my time in our neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric floor at the local hospital. I would like to say I have seen it all, but that is the beauty of speech therapy, there is always that kiddo that comes along that challenges my "expert" brain.

I currently am a full time clinical instructor at the University of MN-Duluth. Circle is my tiny way to keep my hands in the clinical world which is what I love. It is my second full time year teaching graduate students how to do speech therapy. UMD has a free speech/language/hearing clinic where students provide the therapy under supervision of a licensed speech therapist. It has been good for my clinical brain to think about WHY I do what I do in the therapy room.

I have been married to Scott for 26 years this summer and am mom to two boys. Griffin is almost 21 and joined the Air National Guard his senior year of high school. He is a jack of all trades like his dad and is currently trying to decide what he wants to study in college as he keeps doing more and more at the guard base. Reese was 13 when he died in 2019. He had a mitochondrial disease which resulted in epilepsy, severe cognitive delay, placement of a feeding tube and lots of other complicated medical challenges. Needless to say, being his mom changed LOTS of things. We have a very large dog named Matilda (or Tilly). She is half English mastiff and half German Shepherd. Most days she is good to have around.

Thank you for following Circle Speech Therapy. So far, this little adventure has been much more fun than I ever anticipated and I am just getting started.

I am excited to announce the opening of Circle Speech Therapy, a small private practice located in Duluth, MN. I am collaborating with Melody Poggio Tutoring (218-240-1657) this summer on 6 week literacy camps for a variety of ages. I will be accepting a small number of individual clients for the summer beginning June 1. Please contact me at 218-391-6868 or [email protected] with any inquiries.