Speech Therapy

Mary Free Bed offers comprehensive speech therapy services for inpatients and outpatients of all ages, helping them improve communication, cognitive skills, and swallowing function.

Our experienced speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide personalized treatment for a wide range of speech and language disorders, empowering patients to speak, understand and communicate with confidence.

Understanding Speech Therapy

Speech therapy focuses on evaluating and treating speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing disorders.

These disorders can result from various conditions, including neurological disorders, developmental delays, injuries, and surgeries. Our goal is to help patients regain their ability to communicate and perform daily activities independently.

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CJ's Speech Therapy Journey at Mary Free Bed at Covenant HealthCare

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Treatment Plans, Common Causes, & Benefits of Therapy

Personalized Treatment Plans

Your treatment begins with a comprehensive evaluation conducted by our skilled speech-language pathologists. This evaluation can include assessments of speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing abilities to determine the most effective treatment approach.

Based on the evaluation, we develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and goals. Your plan may include:

  • Speech and language therapeutic tasks
  • Cognitive-communication strategies
  • Swallowing therapy
  • Voice therapy
  • Fluency training
  • Use of assistive communication devices (AAC)
speech personalized treatment plans

Common Causes

Speech and language disorders can result from various conditions. Listed below are some common causes and examples:

  • Neurological disorders (stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease)
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Developmental delays and disorders (autism, apraxia of speech)
  • Injuries (head trauma, vocal cord damage)
  • Surgeries (cervical neck fusion) 
  • Chronic conditions (multiple sclerosis)
speech common causes

Benefits of Speech Therapy

  • Improved communication skills
  • Enhanced cognitive function
  • Better swallowing safety and efficiency
  • Increased confidence in social and professional interactions
  • Greater independence in daily activities
benefits of speech therapy

Who is Eligible?

Our speech therapy services are available to individuals of all ages, from children to adults, who are experiencing:

Speech and Language Disorders

Aphasia Rehabilitation (following a stroke or brain injury)

Cognitive-Communication Disorders

Swallowing Difficulties (dysphagia)

Voice Disorders

Fluency Disorders (stuttering)

Expert Speech Therapy Services

Patients typically attend therapy two to three days per week, with several appointments per day, for a total of six to seven sessions each week. The program lasts 10 – 12 weeks and is customized to your goals and tolerance.

We’re here to help you manage:
  • Pain that persists longer than expected or doesn’t respond to treatment
  • Difficulties carrying out daily tasks, working, or attending school
  • Emotional challenges like depression or anxiety linked to pain
  • Overuse of medications such as opioids
  • Reduced quality of life caused by chronic pain

Specialized Speech Therapy Programs at Mary Free Bed 

Voice + Breathing Therapy Specialty Program
Vocal health is essential for effective communication and functioning in your daily life. Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a condition that affects your airway and can impact your breathing and speaking.

Changes in your voice, like hoarseness or breathiness, can result from vocal strain, lesions on the vocal cords, or reduced vocal cord movement. These changes may occur due to surgery, intense vocal use, post-viral effects, or other health conditions.

Mary Free Bed speech-language pathologists are experts in communication disorders, including VCD. They can develop a personalized plan and guide you through exercises to manage your vocal cord dysfunction symptoms during speech therapy sessions.

Myofunctional Training Specialty Program

The way we swallow can affect eating, talking, appearance, and breathing. Myofunctional disorders, which can impact people of all ages, occur when the tongue pushes forward or sideways while swallowing, leading to various medical issues.

Speech-language pathologists in the Mary Free Bed Myofunctional Training Program’s help strengthen and improve control of the muscles in your face and mouth, especially the tongue.

After an initial evaluation, we’ll create a personalized therapy plan. Typically, training starts with weekly 30-minute sessions for four to six weeks to establish new behaviors. Follow-up visits may be needed but will become less frequent over three to six months.

What’s Happening at Mary Free Bed?

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Ready to Get Started With Mary Free Bed?

Wherever you are in your journey, we’re ready when you are. Our team is here to listen, support and help guide your recovery. Whether you’re just starting out or picking up where you left off, we’re ready to support your goals—big and small.

Our Locations

Great Lakes Bay Region
Great Lakes Bay Region
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
West Michigan
West Michigan
Mid-Michigan
Mid-Michigan
West Virginia
West Virginia