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JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 2 2015 105
was challenging, although a bonus to their fundamental
patient-centred approach. Clinical experience and
workplace environment influenced the development of
this perception. With experience, SLTs reported becoming
open to including significant others in rehabilitation, but
noted several challenges to including them, including
their accessibility. When significant others were available,
basic interventions were undertaken to include them, such
as inviting significant others to therapy and information
sharing. Participants rarely provided significant others with
language exercises or trained them to communicate more
effectively with the aphasic person. Participants indicated
they had unachieved ideals, including more frequent
contact with significant others, even if they felt satisfied with
their efforts to offer interventions to the family members and
friends of people with aphasia.
The authors advocate re-evaluation of SLTs’ perceptions
of including significant others in aphasia rehabilitation. They
suggest if SLTs perceive including significant others as a
feasible necessity, rather than as a challenging bonus, they
will be more inclined to include significant others in aphasia
rehabilitation, with the aim to improve their communication
with the person with aphasia. Suggestions to promote this
re-evaluation include featuring in-depth training about family
intervention in the SLT curriculum, redefining the concept of
patient, and exploring SLTs’ beliefs and emotions related to
including significant others in aphasia therapy.
rehabilitation have been developed in recent years,
including communication partner training and educational
programs about aphasia. These interventions have
documented positive effects on significant others’
psychosocial well-being and ability to support the
communication and participation of people with aphasia,
and it is recommended that rehabilitation includes the
significant others of people with aphasia. However, the
extent to which these interventions form part of speech-
language therapists’ (SLTs) current clinical practice is
unknown.
The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the
process through which SLTs work with significant others of
people with aphasia in rehabilitation settings.
Participants were eight SLTs who had been working with
people with aphasia in one of four inpatient and outpatient
rehabilitation facilities for at least 1 year. Participants were
female, aged between 27 and 53 years with a mean
age of 40, and had worked with people with aphasia for
between 4 and 31 years with a mean of 15 years. The SLTs
participated in individual semi-structured interviews, and
grounded theory principles were applied in analysing the
interview transcripts.
A model was developed theorising SLTs’ process of
working with significant others of people with aphasia
in a rehabilitation setting. Central to this process was
participants’ perception that working with significant others