JCPSLP November 2017

Supporting social, emotional and mental health and well-being: Roles of speech-language pathologists

From the editor Leigha Dark

Contents

W elcome 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

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

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.

individuals who have emotional behavioural disorders, attention deficit disorders and oppositional defiant disorders – Karen James

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JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 3 2017

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au