Alison Madsen, MA CCC-SLP

Began at Teachwell:

 2023

Why did you choose this field?

I chose the field of Speech Pathology after volunteering and coaching with Special Olympics South Dakota. One of the coaches I volunteered with was working as an elementary school teacher and told me she could see me working as an SLP. After that practice, I began looking into the field and shadowing various SLP’s and that is when I fell in love with the field. I soon changed my major and transferred schools to pursue the career.

What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a dentist growing up and it wasn't until undergrad that I changed my mind when I found the field of speech pathology.

Why Teachwell?

I was most interested in joining Teachwell as they put their clients' and therapists' needs first, creating a positive working environment where both sides are satisfied. Teachwell also offers the ability to provide treatment remotely. I fell in love with teletherapy after I graduated during the pandemic where teletherapy was the primary way of providing treatment. I found that my clients were just as engaged and at times more engaged than in person and I was still seeing my clients make progress and reach their goals. I enjoy being able to work with a large variety of clients or schools from around the state!

What are you proudest of?

I am most proud of my willingness to try new things and get out of my comfort zone.

What lessons has your work life taught you?

My work life has taught me to be flexible! Things do not always go as planned and I have learned how to adapt in the moment without getting caught up on the plan not working out exactly as I had intended it to.

What is your background? Experience, degrees, skills, etc.?

I graduated from The University of South Dakota in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I then graduated from The University of South Dakota with a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology in 2020. I graduated from graduate school during the COVID19 Pandemic which forced me into doing teletherapy which surprised me with being one of my most valuable experiences. My professional experience is primarily with the pediatric population where I have enjoyed working with birth-3 families, school-aged children, and young adults with disabilities. I most enjoy treating fluency/stuttering disorders where my professional goal is to become a Board Certified Specialist in Fluency and Fluency Disorders (BCS-F).

People would be surprised to know that I . . .