Speech-Language Pathology Programs

The mission of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology is to prepare reflective speech-language pathologists and audiologists for lifelong success by providing an excellent student-centered experiential learning environment. Our students are mentored in developing leadership, critical thinking skills, and a strong commitment to their profession and society. These efforts are assisted by the department's commitment to professional growth through clinical practice, scholarly activity, and service to the profession and the community. The programs are developed in accordance with state and national accreditation standards and guidelines to ensure that graduates provide exemplary professional practice throughout their careers.

Download Pacific 2020 SLP Strategic Plan (pdf) (Approved on May 17, 2022)

Pacific Speech, Hearing, and Language Center

The Pacific Speech, Hearing and Language Center provides speech therapy services to adults in the community. Clients work one-on-one with student clinicians in the University of the Pacific's Department of Speech-Language Pathology. Therapy services are provided for fluency, speech, language and voice disorders, as well as cognitive rehabilitation following head trauma or stroke and aural rehabilitation for individuals with hearing impairment to help maximize communication effectiveness.

RiteCare Childhood Language Center of Stockton

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology also staffs the RiteCare Childhood Language Center, serving children from ages 2 to 18 years with speech and/or language disorders.

Language-Literacy Center

The Language-Literacy Center (LLC) was initially funded through a grant from University of the Pacific to meet the clinical training needs of Pacific speech-language pathology students and the language-literacy needs of area youth. The LLC is designed to provide our students with opportunities to learn best practices in working with youth who have language-literacy disorders and to conduct research in this area.

Pacific Hearing & Balance Center

With full-equipped clinics on both the Stockton and San Francisco campuses, the Pacific Hearing & Balance Center, provides the highest level of evidence-based, comprehensive and professional audiological care, from prevention to rehabilitation, for individuals of all ages with hearing and balance concerns. Our goal is to optimize your hearing and make listening effortless, ensuring an improved quality of life through better hearing and balance.

Clinical Instructors

If interested in employment as a clinical instructor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, please contact Dr. Derek Isetti at disetti1@pacific.edu.

Download (pdf) the clinical instructor job description.

The undergraduate and graduate experiences are not just limited to coursework and fieldwork. Pacific has an active chapter of NSSLHA. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to join. The chapter organizes fundraisers for charities and community outreach activities.

Since 2011, Larry Boles, PhD, CCC-SLP, graduate director and professor of speech-language-pathology, has organized a conversation group known as the Pacific Aphasia Conversation Team (PACT) for individuals who have aphasia. This group is open to community members and focuses on helping them regain communication skills.

For individuals striving to regain their language skills, PACT offers a space of understanding forged by shared experience. Dr. Boles hopes that the successes the clients experience within the group will bolster their confidence and be a source of encouragement when they find communication to be difficult.

Conversations are guided by Dr. Boles and the two to four Pacific speech-language pathology graduate students who assist him each semester. He looks for students who display compassion and discernment when interacting with clients.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Boles has provided one-on-one therapy sessions to over 500 clients who have been affected by aphasia. Dr. Boles has also presented his research on the role of a spouse in the treatment process at annual meetings of the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and at international meetings in Taiwan and Australia.

Aphasia is a language problem that includes receptive and/or expressive linguistic components common across verbal expression, reading and/or writing caused by a central nervous system dysfunction. Aphasia can be compared to learning a foreign language. The difference is that, rather than learning a new language, individuals must relearn language itself. To learn more about aphasia, visit the National Aphasia Association at aphasia.org.

For more information on the Pacific Aphasia Conversation Team, contact Larry Boles at lboles@pacific.edu or 209.946.7490.
 

What is SPEAK OUT!®?

SPEAK OUT!® is an evidence-based speech and voice therapy program for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Through this program, speech becomes more intentional (louder, clearer), and improvements in swallowing have also been noted. SPEAK OUT!® is usually completed in 8-12 individual sessions (45 min each) spanning four weeks, and then the client transitions to a once-a-week program in a group setting.  Clients report improvement in their communication and their overall quality of life.

The group therapy portion of the program, which meets once weekly, is responsible for maintaining the gains obtained during SPEAK OUT!®.

When and where can I receive services?

SPEAK OUT!® is generally offered on weekdays two to three times a week around a client’s schedule. The group version (for those who complete the individual sessions) currently meets virtually on Wednesdays at 2:15 p.m., but additional sessions might be offered as our group grows.  Individual sessions occur at Pacific’s Speech, Hearing, and Language Center or can be completed virtually through telehealth. 

I have Parkinson’s disease. When should I begin seeing a speech therapist?

According to studies, up to 89% of people with Parkinson’s disease develop difficulty communicating, and up to 95% develop difficulty swallowing. To postpone and prevent this decline, it is optimal to begin speech therapy as soon as possible. This program may not be suited for everyone diagnosed with Parkinson’s, so potential clients are encouraged first to have a consultation and evaluation with our clinic’s SPEAK OUT!® provider, Dr. Derek Isetti (disetti1@pacific.edu).

What costs are associated with these services?

Pacific’s Speech, Hearing, and Language Center offers SPEAK OUT!® free of charge through a grant from Parkinson Voice Project, based in Richardson, TX. You can learn more about how these programs were developed at their website HERE.