Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Wyatt.
Brooke, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I knew early on that I was interested in child development as well as working with children with special needs. I started college knowing that I wanted to major in Communication Disorders and then go on to get my master’s degree in Speech Pathology. I have never, even 20 years later, regretted that decision. Immediately following graduate school, I started working in a private practice in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In 2008, my husband, myself, and our nine-month-old twin girls moved to Fort Worth so that he could attend graduate school at TCU. At that time, I began working in a public elementary school. I fell in love with working in the public school system. I loved working closely with the teachers, diagnosticians, and administrators and being part of a “team” with the common goal of helping each student on my caseload to be successful in the classroom. A few years later, we moved to Frisco where I began working at the Early Childhood School within Frisco ISD. I spent three years there and became passionate about early intervention.
While working at ECS, I learned about many aspects of child development other than speech and language. I was fortunate enough to learn from teachers and other professionals about fine motor skills, sensory processing, social/emotional skills, and behavior intervention. I loved working at ECS, but due to several different circumstances, I began to struggle balancing work and family. I couldn’t imagine not working but also knew that I really needed something more flexible. I decided to start my own private practice so that I could have the flexibility that I needed for my family but also continue to work in the career that I love so much. In the summer of 2014, I took a giant leap of faith and started Brooke Wyatt Speech Pathology. It has been such a blessing to be able to continue to work in a field that is so rewarding and fulfilling while also giving me the option to work part-time.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the most part, it has been smooth. The most difficult thing I have had to do is learn the world of insurance coding and billing. I am an in-network provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare so learning how to submit claims to insurance has definitely come with its fair share of challenges.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Brooke Wyatt Speech Pathology story. Tell us more about your work.
I run a small Speech Pathology Private Practice. I provide speech therapy evaluations and treatment to children ages 2-18. I provide speech therapy sessions for articulation, language, and fluency as well as pragmatic/social language groups. Because my practice is small and in the home environment, I feel that I am able to really connect with my clients and their parents in a way that isn’t always possible in a school or bigger clinic setting. Every single session that I do is unique and individualized to that client and their current needs. I absolutely love engaging with the child’s parents and teaching them ways that they can improve speech and language at home and carry over the skills that the child is learning in the therapy sessions. Parent involvement is an essential part of a child’s progress.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It has been a blessing to have picked a profession all those years ago that I absolutely love. I sincerely care about improving the communication skills of each child that I work with and am so thankful that I get to be a small part in their life. I feel fortunate that I took that leap of faith to go out on my own so that I am able to do this career that I love while also maintaining a healthy balance of work and family life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1123 Chestnut Drive
Frisco, TX 75036 - Phone: 501-590-5940
- Email: brookewyattslp@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/brookewyattslp/
Image Credit:
Amy Gutknecht with Amy Lou Photography
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