Well to say that we live in some interesting, different, and challenging times seems like a HUGE understatement! However despite the challenges COIVID-19 has presented and the changes we have had to make as a company, we continue to stay incredibly busy! Our caseloads are full, we are slowly starting to enter back into our kiddos homes with the appropriate precautions while still offering teletherapy for families that do not meet our requirements to come back into the home and our waitlist is exploding with over 65 kiddos waiting for a spot to open up!
Even throughout this challenging time we have worked hard to continue to build our reputation in the communities that we serve and we continue to provide some of the best total care coordination and speech therapy services in the state. We are proud of what we have built, but we are not done yet. We are not satisfied, there is a lot more we can do, and there are a lot more kiddos out there who need speech therapy. We will continue to work hard, to grow, and to find more ways in which we can serve our communities. That is our promise to you, to never stop getting better and finding more ways to serve and treat your little ones.
Today we take another step towards fulfilling that promise. We are happy to introduce you guys to the newest member of our company, team and family, Lauren Kosky! Lauren brings loads of passion for the kiddos she serves and experience working with little ones in their home environment. We could not be more excited to have Lauren join our family! While we may have just met her a month ago, we already love her and we know you guys will too! Here is a little more about her!
First tell us a little bit about yourself
I am so excited to be back in Minnesota after a few years of moving around! I left my hometown, Franklin, Wisconsin, to come to the U of MN for college where I majored in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and minored in Neuroscience. I went to graduate school at Maryville University in St. Louis before getting a job in Boston. I love spending time with my family and friends, which was my main reason to come back to the Midwest! When I’m not working or with loved ones, you can find me walking/running/on a rooftop/on a lake/anything outdoors, playing with dogs, traveling, or there’s a good chance I’m at Trader Joe’s.
Why did you choose Speech-Language Pathology?
I’ve always known I would work with kids. When I decided neither teaching or pediatric nursing were for me, I realized speech-language pathology combines the education and medical fields in a perfect way. Two of my aunts (and favorite people) are also SLPs, so they inspired me to pursue this career, too.
What is your work experience?
Most of my experience has been with the pediatric population. This started with working at after-school programs, volunteering at Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camps, and nannying. In college, I volunteered at UMN’s cleft palate-craniofacial clinic, worked in a speech perception research lab, and had an internship at a hospital school while studying abroad in London. In graduate school, between working with clients at speech and language clinics, I also had an amazing externship at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where I learned a ton about feeding therapy and often worked with children with complex medical histories. In Boston, I worked as an early intervention SLP. I provided speech, language, and feeding therapy with little kiddos and their families in their homes (or via telehealth this year!).
What are you most excited about when you think about joining Family Chatterbox
I am most excited about working with my clients in their natural environments, yet targeting progress in all contexts! I am also extremely excited to continue growing as a clinician by learning through new experiences while implementing what I have learned in previous positions. I am thrilled to join the Family Chatterbox team!
Lastly and most importantly … what’s your favorite food:
Frosting
Like we said in the beginning of this post, we are just getting started, but this is an important next step in continuing to grow and become the best team of therapists possible. Welcome aboard Lauren!
-Kasey-