Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Zimmerman.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have pretty much always known that I wanted to be a speech-language pathologist (or a speech therapist or SLP, as we are also called). My younger brother is autistic, so I knew that I had a passion for working with individuals with communication differences. I went to the University of Iowa for both undergrad and grad school and officially started working as an SLP in 2015. I worked in a variety of settings, including pediatric outpatient hospitals, pediatric multidisciplinary specialty clinics, private practices, telehealth, nonpublic schools, and even internationally as an NDIS (in-home and community-based) provider in Australia. I learned so much for all of those experiences but always felt like there was a way that I could better serve my clients. With support from my family and friends, I started my own private practice called Just Once Language & Speech Therapy in 2021. By opening up my private practice, I feel like I’m now able to serve my clients in a more personal way: to be a part of the their communication journey from intake to discharge, to serve them in the community and their homes in spaces where they are the most comfortable, and to work on communication goals that are important and meaningful to them!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not always been an easy road, but that hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. By starting a business, I not only had to keep up on my clinical knowledge but had to learn about setting up a corporation, bookkeeping, the ins and outs of running a business, and so many other things that are not in my wheelhouse. Luckily, I had such a great support system that was always there even when things have been a bit bumpy. I’m so appreciative of them and all of the people I’ve met along the way whose strengths are very different than mine. Overall, the experience has reminded me that we are always learning and growing and all just doing the best we can until we know better!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Just Once Language & Speech Therapy Inc?
Just Once provides speech and language services to children, teens, and young adults with complex communication needs, including but not limited to autistic individuals and AAC users. Our goal for our clients is to guide them to lead meaningful lives through increased self-advocacy skills, independence and autonomy in communication, and an empowered support system. First and foremost, we are dedicated to teamwork, and respect, and put the priority on engagement and connection. We want parents and caregivers to ask questions, share feedback, share struggles, share hopes, and collaborate with us every step of the way. At Just Once, we will always respect our clients in how we speak to them, speak about them, and act towards them. We recognize potential and have high expectations for them! Building connections with clients and families are at the heart of all we do because strong relationships are foundational to learning. We will spend time getting to know our clients, their parents/caregivers, and what is meaningful for them as family so that we can best support them on their communication journey! We offer speech and language evaluations, therapy sessions in-home or in the community, group sessions when appropriate, and parent/caregiver consultations.
What does success mean to you?
One of the most important things that I learned from my clients is that the definition of success is and should be defined differently by each person. In addition to their individualized communication goals, one of my big goals for my clients is to give them the tools to self-advocate and open up opportunities and choices for them to choose success and happiness for themselves!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justonce-slp.com
- Instagram: @just.once.slp
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/just.once.slp
