Effective trauma-informed care requires collaboration across disciplines, yet speech pathologists are often overlooked as key contributors to these teams. This presentation aims to raise awareness of the critical role speech pathologists play in supporting individuals with trauma, emphasising the need for greater collaboration and communication between professionals.

Speech pathologists are often perceived as focusing solely on speech sounds or stuttering, but their expertise in language and communication is much broader, especially when working with trauma survivors. Trauma can significantly impact communication abilities, including language comprehension, expressive language, and social interaction. By understanding these impacts, professionals from all disciplines—whether educators, psychologists, or allied health practitioners—can better identify when to involve a speech pathologist and how this collaboration enhances care outcomes.

This session will explore how trauma affects communication and language skills, highlighting real-world examples of how speech pathologists bring specialised tools to support recovery. Attendees will gain strategies for working together with speech pathologists to create more comprehensive, trauma-informed care plans for children, young people, and adults.

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