Trauma-Informed Practice: Why It Matters for Every SLP

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 settingHow trauma affects communication and what it might look like in your sessionsWhy labels like “non-compliant” and “unmotivated” are worth a second lookHow SLPs can accidentally cause harm—and the simple shifts that helpWhat trauma-informed practice actually looks like inside a therapy roomHere’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:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets