Interview with Michelle Eral, M.S., CCC-SLP, VP of Content Development, Therasimplicity
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Beck:Hi Michelle. Thanks for speaking with me today.Eral:Hi Doug. Thanks for the opportunity.Beck:Michelle, would you please tell me a little about your education?Eral:Sure thing. My master's degree was in speech-language pathology (SLP). I studied at the University of Wisconsin at River F
Beck:Hi Michelle. Thanks for speaking with me today.
Eral:Hi Doug. Thanks for the opportunity.
Beck:Michelle, would you please tell me a little about your education?
Eral:Sure thing. My master's degree was in speech-language pathology (SLP). I studied at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and I completed my degree in 1994.
Beck:I recently saw your website and it's very simple, creative and a bit unusual. I thought it would be good to share some of your ideas and creativity with our readers. I think what separates your website from the pack is the "online therapy" approach and offerings. Would you please walk us through that?
Eral:Sure. Therasimplicty is a web-based application. It allows users to log in remotely, from anywhere that has Internet access and from there, they can download their own custom-made SLP tools, or they can use the tools we've created and stored relating to language, articulation, voice, fluency and other areas, too. Once they log in, they have instant access to all of our tools, and whatever else they may have previously stored as print-outs or slideshows.
Beck:I guess the SLP tools run the whole spectrum from quite simple such as word lists or flash cards, to quite sophisticated, too, right?
Eral:Exactly. So if the SLP has a set of materials or a tool they really like, and they use that same tool a little or a lot, they can save the tool on our server and then they have access whenever they choose. We like to think of ourselves as facilitators for multiple approaches. In other words, we don't say do this or do that, we simply provide all the tools necessary to allow the SLP to provide whichever therapy and management they prefer.
Beck:So this is actually a whole new approach to SLP management and therapy, because the tools can be tweaked and saved as desired and/or preferred by the SLP, and then retrieved as needed to meet the immediate clinical or rehab needs as they arise for individual clients and patients?
Eral:That's right. And as you know, Doug, They have the ability to create thousands of combinations of materials on their own right in the comfort of their office or home. We also allow our subscribers to request and recommend the items they would like to see developed.
Beck:Let's go back to flashcards for a moment. Suppose you're working with a client on "R" sounds, what does the online therapy offer that regular old paper-based flashcards can't do?
Eral:Well, flashcards are a pretty good example because in a regular flashcard deck, you might have 50 or a hundred cards or maybe 200, and that's fine. But if you setup a flashcard file electronically, you could have access to hundreds or thousands of flash cards, over and over, and of course, they can be organized in any way you like based on the first sound, the final sound or whatever characteristic you choose. So if you used the website, you could literally have an almost infinite set of flashcards, and they could be visualized as prompts on the screen, or downloaded and printed, and they could serve multiple purposes.
Beck:So in other words, the Internet-based or web-based tools add incredible depth and versatility to what you're already engaged in. What other applications can you tell me about?
Eral:I've worked with many SLPs as they go about designing generic and custom-made communication boards and the functions within them. In other words, the SLP may have one communication board she really likes for children and another for adults, and they can all be retrieved in a keystroke and customized for the individual client or patient, on an as-needed basis. So you might have a picture of a clock, and then a note saying at 8 o'clock time for breakfast, or at 9 o'clock time for the bus...and of course there's no limit to the changes and the images that can be applied to the communication board. Lots of SLPs find it very useful to update or revise boards as the client's schedule and needs change. In fact, you can upload your own JPEG photos, too, and incorporate that into the materials, such as the client's spouse, their pet, or their sister, or dad, or their school...and so again, you can customize the materials for the individual, and once you get a little bit of practice with our unlimited tech support, it gets pretty easy very quickly.
Beck:What can you tell me about security? In other words, suppose I design an SLP tool which is really neat, but it's my own design, and it works well, and I only use it in special situations, but I don't want the entire community to have access to it. Can it be kept securely on the website?
Eral:Yes. Each SLP that registers with us gets their own unique user name and password, and so no one else has access to their accounts or materials. It's pretty much the same as the protection they have for their e-mail and their bank accounts. So everything is saved into your own secure account. Then again, we do offer, and we do have more than 2000 pre-created worksheets and the application is visually-based, so it is very easy to access, and it's intuitively designed and so it is very easy to navigate around to find what you need very quickly. So for the SLP that doesn't want to create their own tools, we have thousands to choose from.
Beck:And are you still adding content, or is the website essentially finished?
Eral:The content continues to grow, and as it grows, the users can create or use worksheets, slide shows, pre-created worksheets, and they also have access to their own designs and as we mentioned above, communication boards can be designed, customized and modified as desired. .
Beck: Thanks Michelle. I appreciate your time, and congratulations on the website.
Eral:Thank you, too, Doug.
For additional information please visit:
www.therasimplicity.com/flash/visualtour.aspx
www.therasimplicity.com
www.speechpathology.com/ceus/recordedcoursedetails.asp?class_id=2448
Eral:Hi Doug. Thanks for the opportunity.
Beck:Michelle, would you please tell me a little about your education?
Eral:Sure thing. My master's degree was in speech-language pathology (SLP). I studied at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and I completed my degree in 1994.
Beck:I recently saw your website and it's very simple, creative and a bit unusual. I thought it would be good to share some of your ideas and creativity with our readers. I think what separates your website from the pack is the "online therapy" approach and offerings. Would you please walk us through that?
Eral:Sure. Therasimplicty is a web-based application. It allows users to log in remotely, from anywhere that has Internet access and from there, they can download their own custom-made SLP tools, or they can use the tools we've created and stored relating to language, articulation, voice, fluency and other areas, too. Once they log in, they have instant access to all of our tools, and whatever else they may have previously stored as print-outs or slideshows.
Beck:I guess the SLP tools run the whole spectrum from quite simple such as word lists or flash cards, to quite sophisticated, too, right?
Eral:Exactly. So if the SLP has a set of materials or a tool they really like, and they use that same tool a little or a lot, they can save the tool on our server and then they have access whenever they choose. We like to think of ourselves as facilitators for multiple approaches. In other words, we don't say do this or do that, we simply provide all the tools necessary to allow the SLP to provide whichever therapy and management they prefer.
Beck:So this is actually a whole new approach to SLP management and therapy, because the tools can be tweaked and saved as desired and/or preferred by the SLP, and then retrieved as needed to meet the immediate clinical or rehab needs as they arise for individual clients and patients?
Eral:That's right. And as you know, Doug, They have the ability to create thousands of combinations of materials on their own right in the comfort of their office or home. We also allow our subscribers to request and recommend the items they would like to see developed.
Beck:Let's go back to flashcards for a moment. Suppose you're working with a client on "R" sounds, what does the online therapy offer that regular old paper-based flashcards can't do?
Eral:Well, flashcards are a pretty good example because in a regular flashcard deck, you might have 50 or a hundred cards or maybe 200, and that's fine. But if you setup a flashcard file electronically, you could have access to hundreds or thousands of flash cards, over and over, and of course, they can be organized in any way you like based on the first sound, the final sound or whatever characteristic you choose. So if you used the website, you could literally have an almost infinite set of flashcards, and they could be visualized as prompts on the screen, or downloaded and printed, and they could serve multiple purposes.
Beck:So in other words, the Internet-based or web-based tools add incredible depth and versatility to what you're already engaged in. What other applications can you tell me about?
Eral:I've worked with many SLPs as they go about designing generic and custom-made communication boards and the functions within them. In other words, the SLP may have one communication board she really likes for children and another for adults, and they can all be retrieved in a keystroke and customized for the individual client or patient, on an as-needed basis. So you might have a picture of a clock, and then a note saying at 8 o'clock time for breakfast, or at 9 o'clock time for the bus...and of course there's no limit to the changes and the images that can be applied to the communication board. Lots of SLPs find it very useful to update or revise boards as the client's schedule and needs change. In fact, you can upload your own JPEG photos, too, and incorporate that into the materials, such as the client's spouse, their pet, or their sister, or dad, or their school...and so again, you can customize the materials for the individual, and once you get a little bit of practice with our unlimited tech support, it gets pretty easy very quickly.
Beck:What can you tell me about security? In other words, suppose I design an SLP tool which is really neat, but it's my own design, and it works well, and I only use it in special situations, but I don't want the entire community to have access to it. Can it be kept securely on the website?
Eral:Yes. Each SLP that registers with us gets their own unique user name and password, and so no one else has access to their accounts or materials. It's pretty much the same as the protection they have for their e-mail and their bank accounts. So everything is saved into your own secure account. Then again, we do offer, and we do have more than 2000 pre-created worksheets and the application is visually-based, so it is very easy to access, and it's intuitively designed and so it is very easy to navigate around to find what you need very quickly. So for the SLP that doesn't want to create their own tools, we have thousands to choose from.
Beck:And are you still adding content, or is the website essentially finished?
Eral:The content continues to grow, and as it grows, the users can create or use worksheets, slide shows, pre-created worksheets, and they also have access to their own designs and as we mentioned above, communication boards can be designed, customized and modified as desired. .
Beck: Thanks Michelle. I appreciate your time, and congratulations on the website.
Eral:Thank you, too, Doug.
For additional information please visit:
www.therasimplicity.com/flash/visualtour.aspx
www.therasimplicity.com
www.speechpathology.com/ceus/recordedcoursedetails.asp?class_id=2448