Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Rodriguez.
Rhonda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Thank you for the opportunity to share a little about myself and my business. I’m from the piney woods of East Texas where I graduated from Harmony High School in 1987. I’m a US Navy veteran and have been an active member of the Denton community with my husband and children for over 20 years. I graduated summa cum laude from Texas Woman’s University with my Bachelor of Science degree in 2002 and Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2005.
As a speech-language pathologist, I’ve worked in public education, private practice and outpatient rehab for children and adults. I’ve worked with special populations such as individuals with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, hearing impairments, and more. I’ve evaluated and treated a broad range of speech and language disorders including speech sound disorders, apraxia of speech, feeding and swallowing, expressive, receptive and social language disorders, stuttering, and orofacial myofunctional disorders.
In 2018, my husband encouraged me to explore the idea of establishing a private practice. I’ll be honest. While I am confident in my skills as a speech-language pathologist, I doubted my ability to be a business owner. My husband has a special gift of seeing my strengths, understanding my passion and dreams and helping me realize them. With his gentle and persistent encouragement and support, I took steps to begin the process. I met with a local lawyer in July of that year who was also a family friend. With his legal and business advice, along with the mentorship of generous colleagues, Rodriguez Speech Therapy was established 1 day before my 50th birthday! I placed my written goals by my computer to help me stay on task. It was rewarding to visually see my progress. My hope was to fully transition from my current job setting to my private practice in five years, but less than one year later, am much further ahead of schedule. My heart is full of joy and gratitude for all the family, friends and colleagues who have helped, encouraged and supported me on this journey.
My goal for this private practice is to reflect my personal and professional values. It is my desire to provide quality, knowledgeable, caring and individualized care to each client and their family. I chose a dragonfly as my company logo. As a koi pond owner and enthusiast, the dragonfly has long captivated my admiration for its beauty, power, and resilience. The dragonfly perseveres through a long journey before getting its wings and reaching its full potential to fly. This resonates in me personally and professionally. My hope and passion are to meet each individual and family along their journey to help them “find their wings” and reach their full potential.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have certainly been obstacles along the way. Some things have been easier than anticipated and others much more challenging. I had a steep learning curve in business management and briefly stalled when trying to credential with insurance companies. In an effort to run the business debt-free, I wear several different hats during the day to day operations until I can bring support onboard. Juggling all the different responsibilities can be a challenge.
Alright – so let’s talk about your practice. Tell us about Rodriguez Speech Therapy – what should we know?
Treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders is my area of specialty and the reason most people seek me out. Orofacial myofunctional therapy addresses muscle disorders of the mouth, lips, jaw, and tongue that cause functional issues related to speech, feeding, and breathing. It requires advanced study and is not practiced by all speech-language pathologists. This has become an area of great interest to me as it has helped many families where traditional speech therapy was not enough. I am currently on the certification track through the International Association of Orofacial Myology. More information about this area of treatment can be found by visiting this website: https://www.iaom.com/.
Other areas of specialty include the assessment and treatment of sensorimotor speech and feeding disorders, swallowing disorders, auditory rehabilitation and early intervention for delayed language disorders.
Professional development is a priority for me and an area in which I take great pride. I’ve completed over 200 hours of continuing education over the past two years alone and have received the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) three times during that period. (ACE) is a formal recognition of professionals who have demonstrated their commitment to lifelong learning. Ongoing education is critical to providing highly qualified and skilled speech and myofunctional therapy services.
Certified in the following areas:
Board Certified in Speech-Language Pathology through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
AMPCare Effective Swallowing Program: Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Swallowing Disorders
McNeill Dysphagia Treatment Program – Exercise-based treatment of swallowing disorders
Hanen It Takes Two To Talk – parent coaching and language development in a natural context
Voted Best Speech-Language Pathologist of Denton County in 2018.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Faith, passion, and persistence probably sum up the qualities that are important to my success. I’m confident this is where God wants me to be professionally, I’m passionate about learning and helping people and I don’t easily give up when faced with adversity. My parents were instrumental in instilling these qualities in me.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3109 Westgate Drive
Denton, TX 76207 - Website: https://www.rodriguezspeechtherapy.com/
- Phone: (940)368-8143
- Email: rhonda@rodriguezspeechtherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodriguezspeechtherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodriguezspeechtherapy/
- Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-rodriguez-a4324929/
- Other: Rodriguez Speech Therapy, PLLC
Image Credit:
J Reib Photography, Chase Rodriguez, Brian Morales
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