Home and office are the same for speech-language pathologist and communication coach Susanne Creighton.

Creighton lives in North Pacific Beach near Kate Sessions Elementary. She said working from her home office in her business named Gather and Grow Speech Therapy gives her clients “a place where they’re willing to connect and be in a space with like-minded individuals.” She added that ultimately creates “a place of joy and connection with each other.”

Creighton noted people drop off their kids at her home, or adults drive over. “I’m lucky to have different spaces in my home where we can work outside, or move inside,” she said pointing out, “Often with kids, treatment is play- and activity-based.”

Possessing a master’s degree in communication science and disorders from SDSU, Creighton notes she treats people at “all ages and stages,” but her clientele tends to be composed more of children or young adults.

And there are a myriad of speech conditions out there to be treated. “If young adults have problems with accent modification and speech fluency or articulation, or older adults have ‘weak’ voice or a neurogenetic disorder – we work on that,” said Creighton who was employed for 20 years in public schools before going into private practice. She also helps people pick up English as a second or third language.

What’s the key to working with someone with speech difficulties? “There is no one model,” replied Creighton adding, “Everything has to very much be tailored to the individual. You have to play to their strengths and their interests. The idea is always to empower someone.”

Creighton added it is also essential to address speech problems as soon as possible. “Early intervention is big, critical, especially if the kid is going to be on a path to something like autism (a neurological and developmental disorder affecting how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave),” she said.

Creighton noted it’s important to “celebrate the wins along the way,” in helping people overcome their speech difficulties. But she added it’s most important to her for her clients to get to where they feel like “they’ve got the skills and feel good about their speaking ability.”

As one example, Creighton recently treated a 74-year-old woman for a weak voice. She said her client told her, “It’s (voice) killing me in social situations.”

The speech difficulties Creighton helps people overcome aren’t always overt. She said, “I tell them, ‘If you want to achieve relaxation and feel more at ease when you’re speaking, and have less anxiety, I can help you with that.”

The speech pathologist talked about one dream she’d like to become a reality. “One of my visions is to create this day camp, which would be more nurturing for kids providing them with a play-based environment where they could play board games or go nature hiking.”

The company’s website is presently under construction. For more information, email [email protected].

GATHER AND GROW SPEECH THERAPY

Contact: [email protected], 619-955-2728.