Did you know that speech therapists treat conditions beyond stuttering and those hard of hearing? They treat dozens of speech and language disorders such as cognitive and social communication disorders.¹ Speech therapists, also known as speech language pathologists, play an important role in helping people communicate through therapy and personalized exercises.

Here is more information on how to become a speech therapist.

What is a Speech Therapist?

A speech therapist helps people with speech, language, and voice disorders by providing assessments, counseling, and treatment.² Specifically, speech therapists treat those who have difficulty articulating words or sounds, reading and writing, swallowing, and stuttering.³

Speech therapists often treat people who have had a stroke, traumatic brain injuries, hearing loss, and those who are nonverbal.³ Additionally, their clients of many speech therapists have been diagnosed with:

Aphasia. Aphasia is a disorder that causes people to have difficulty talking, understanding others, reading, and writing. Aphasia is usually caused by a stroke or brain injury.⁴

Apraxia. Apraxia is a brain and nervous system disorder that prevents people from carrying out a task even though they are willing and understand what is being asked of them. Typically, apraxia is caused by a brain tumor, dementia, stroke, or brain injury.⁵  

How to Become a Speech Therapist

To become a speech therapist, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree in either speech-language pathology and audiology, or communication sciences and disorders. Additionally, you will need to earn a master’s degree that is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.⁶

Next, you must pass the Praxis 2 Examination in Speech-Language Pathology and earn a minimum score of 162. After that, you need to complete your clinical fellowship, which consists of being mentored by a certified speech therapist, direct contact with patients, and at least 1,260 hours in length. Lastly, you will need to obtain state licensure and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification.⁷

Each state might have variations in the requirements to become a speech therapist.

Where Can Speech Therapists Work?

There are a variety of places where speech therapists can work. The majority of speech therapists work in a school setting. This includes early intervention, preschool, K-12 schools, and colleges. Additionally, speech therapists can work in the healthcare industry, seeing patients in hospitals, acute care, rehabilitation centers, residential and nonresidential health care facilities, and private practice. Lastly, speech therapists can provide services to a company and its employees.⁸