SPEAK OUT! Parkinson’s Treatment for Individuals and In Groups

What is SPEAK OUT!?

SPEAK OUT! is a therapy program tailored to people with Parkinson’s disease to help improve communication, and in turn, swallowing. Within treatment sessions, speech is transformed from an automatic function to an intentional task. The program combines education with speech therapy, daily home practice, and most importantly, weekly group sessions. Free speech therapy workbooks are provided to promote home practice and enhance the treatment received during therapy.

The individual SPEAK OUT! program is flexible for client schedule and is often completed in 8-12 sessions spanning three to four weeks, and then the client transitions to the SPEAK OUT! Group . In this four-week span, clients report improvement in their speaking, their ability to be heard, and their overall quality of life.

The group therapy portion of the program, SPEAK OUT! Group, meets once weekly. The sessions provide maintenance for skills obtained during SPEAK OUT! and are a source of camaraderie for the members. The Robbins Speech and Hearing Center offers group therapy for free to SPEAK OUT! graduates. Currently, we host two groups: The Glistening Intenders on Wednesdays at 11am and The Emerson Intenders on Thursdays at 2pm.

The SPEAK OUT! individual and group therapy regimens were developed at Parkinson Voice Project in Richardson, TX.  You can visit their website HERE.

When and where can I receive services?

All sessions occur at Robbins Speech Language and Hearing Center, or virtually through telepractice. The Robbins Center schedule follows the Emerson College academic calendar.

What costs are associated with these services?

All SPEAK OUT! services are offered for free at the Robbins Center.

Want to learn more or request an application? Contact us at Robbins_Center@emerson.edu or (617) 824-8323