JCPSLP vol 19 no 3 2017 low res. pdf

3 / 64

JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 3 2017 117
Supporting social, emotional and mental health and well-being: Roles of speech-language pathologists
Welcome to the November 2017 issue of JCPSLP
entitled Supporting social, emotional and mental
health and wellbeing: Roles of speech-language
pathologists. What began as an issue focused on the role of
the speech-language pathologist working in dedicated mental
health contexts evolved into a broader exploration of the various
ways in which members of our profession contribute to the
social, emotional and mental health and well-being of clients,
colleagues and communities. Mental health is defined by the
World Health Organization (2017) as “a state of well-being
in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal
stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or
his community”. A complex phenomenon influenced by physical, social, emotional,
psychological and environmental factors, it is more than the absence of a mental health
condition. Rather, mental health is about cognitive, emotional and social health; the
ability to think, feel and interact positively (Beyond Blue, 2016).
On the 10 October, World Mental Health Day 2017 was shared across the globe.
With the aim of raising awareness of mental health issues and promoting support
and development of mental health services, this year’s theme, Mental Health in the
Workplace, was explored. For many people, work is a significant part of life with a
large proportion of time is spent there. It is known that the nature of the workplace
can influence individual and collective mental health. With this in mind, the articles and
columns in this issue offer insight into the different ways in which speech-language
pathologists positively influence the well-being of clients, colleagues, family and friends,
and community across a diverse range of contexts.
In the first article, Barbara Solarsh and Hilary Johnson open a discussion about the
concept of communication access and social inclusion. They offer a thorough analysis
of terminology in current use and argue that participation can be enhanced when
communication access is embraced as an integral part of an inclusive community. In
the second article, Hannah Stark outlines the role of the speech-language pathologist
in addressing communication difficulties of primary school children with social,
emotional and behavioural difficulties, offering reflection on a model of service involving
comprehensive communication assessment and targeted, individualised intervention.
Next, Natalie Alborés, Lyndal Sheepway and Clare Delany explore the beliefs and
attitudes of allied health students towards mental health, sharing the outcomes of
a clinical placement within an inpatient mental health facility. David Trembath and
Elizabeth Starr share the reflections of parents involved in a multifaceted, community-
based program designed to support children with social communication and learning
disabilities during the transition to school. The authors highlight the importance of
supportive, collaborative relationships and open channels of communication between
teachers and parents as integral to the success of the transition process. Continuing
with the theme of communication access, Helen Balydon and Sally Clendon present a
comprehensive discussion of the access method of partner assisted scanning and the
opportunities it presents individuals who use augmentative or alternative communication
(AAC) to interact and participate. In the sixth article, Stacy Sheedy, Verity MacMillan,
Susan O’Brien and Mark Onslow discuss the process of validating a framework of
questions designed to assist clinicians to reflect on their delivery of the Lidcombe
Program in the aim of promoting program fidelity and enhancing client outcomes. In the
final article, Sally Hewat and colleagues present “NUSpeech”, an international clinical
placement model for speech-language pathology students. In their discussion, the
authors highlight strategies used to promote sustainable partnerships and capacity
building with communities in majority world contexts.
What is evident from the articles and columns in this issue is that, regardless of where
or with whom we work or interact, mental health is everyone’s business. Speech-
language pathologists have an important role in promoting and supporting the social,
emotional and mental health and wellness of individuals, across the lifespan.
From the editor
Leigha Dark
117 From the editor
118 Talking about communication access
and social inclusion – Barbara Solarsh
and Hilary Johnson
125 The role of the speech-language
pathologist in supporting primary
school students with social,
emotional and behavioural difficulties:
Clinical insights – Hannah Stark
131 Examining beliefs and attitudes of
allied health students towards mental
health: Outcomes of a clinical
placement – Natalie Alborés, Lyndal
Sheepway, and Clare Delany
137 Supporting children with social-
communication and learning
disabilities and their parents during
the transition to school – David
Trembath and Elizabeth Starr
142 Partner assisted scanning: Enable
the unexpected – Helen Bayldon and
Sally Clendon
151 Lidcombe Program: Development
and validation of reflective questions
– Stacey Sheedy, Verity MacMillan,
Susan O’Brian, and Mark Onslow
157 NUSpeech: A model for international
clinical placements in speech-
language pathology – Sally Hewat,
Joanne Walters, Thizbe Wenger,
Annemarie Lawrence, and Gwendalyn
Webb
163 What’s the evidence? Speech-
language pathology intervention to
improve the social communication
skills of individuals with
schizophrenia – Mary Woodward and
Kirsten McCosker
167 Ethical conversations: Mental health
and illness: What are our ethical
duties toward clients and colleagues?
– Belinda Kenny, Patricia Bradd and
Noel Muller
170 Webwords 59: Mental health: How are
they now? – Caroline Bowen
172 Around the journals
173 Resource review
174 Top 10 resources: Supporting
individuals who have emotional
behavioural disorders, attention
deficit disorders and oppositional
defiant disorders – Karen James
Contents