Speech & Language Therapy and Consultancy for Adults

If speech and language therapists are truly to consider themselves holistic practitioners, all facets of their clients need to be taken into consideration. Spirituality in healthcare has long been explored from the perspective of nursing but is only just beginning to be examined in relation to allied health professions.

This book is the first to explore the role of spirituality in SLT from many perspectives: that of therapists, service users themselves, and from the point of view of a hospital chaplain. Contents will include:

• The definition of spirituality both generally and in the context of healthcare
• Why SLTs might want to consider the spiritual aspect of their clients and how spiritual considerations could impact practice
• The perspectives of three people with aphasia and how spirituality impacts on their condition
• A personal view from a hospital chaplain to highlight how chaplaincy and SLT may work more effectively together for the good of the clients
• An overview of cultural perspectives and an in-depth discussion from the clinician's perspective
• Next steps

Spiritual health is integral to wellbeing because it reaches into all aspects of life. However, until recently it has been a neglected part of healthcare provision. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 has shown the importance of spiritual support alongside physical and mental health for isolated and unwell individuals.

The WELLHEAD Toolkit has been developed via a programme of research in response to a perceived vacuum within health and social care, to ensure that resources for spiritual health are accessible and acceptable to people with communication impairment and those who are undergoing change (e.g., as part of adjustment after trauma or disease), irrespective of their world view and spiritual standpoint. The Toolkit is designed to act as the scaffolding for a one-to-one interview (between a participant and a facilitator), based on exploring 'meaning and purpose' via four neutral dimensions of WIDE LONG HIGH and DEEP. Each dimension offers a participant outcome measure, and leads naturally on to setting 'Next Steps', a form of practical goal-setting.

The Toolkit comprises an Instruction Manual, Word Resources, Picture Resources, proforma recording form, and score forms. It enables aspects of assessment and goal-setting to be devolved in a transparent and replicable way and is eminently suitable for use in telehealth contexts. The Word and Picture Resources are laminated throughout to ensure a practical, enduring resource.

The Toolkit can also be used in telehealth settings and provides a range of downloadable resources:

• Picture Resources
• Word Resources
• Visual Analogue Scale
• Starter Questions
• Score form, as a pdf and Word
• Recording form, as a pdf and Word

The Score form and Recording form are available in two formats so that data can be easily added.