The Tavistock Aphasia Centre | Education, Communication and Language Sciences

About

The Tavistock Aphasia Centre provides speech and language therapy for people with aphasia.

It offers learning opportunities for students studying to become speech and language therapists. The Centre, running since 1999, is a forerunner in the field.

All our Speech and Language Sciences pre-registration programme students undertake one placement there. Experienced speech and language therapists supervise and support the students.

This allows us to:

provide an excellent clinical teaching facility for our students
show explicit links between our research and clinical teaching
offer theory-led speech and language therapy for people with aphasia

Collaboration

We're an integral part of both the local aphasia community and the wider professional community. We collaborate with several groups including:

local speech and language therapist
charities including the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia and NETA
people with aphasia themselves

Our research

Our research revolves around issues of:

elucidating processing models for language
developing and validating new assessments
evaluating therapy
working with people with aphasia to identify the important questions

We welcome potential PhD students in pursuing research into adult acquired communication difficulties. We can help people applying for funding to support their PhD study.

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia have generously provided support to the Aphasia Centre since its inception. The Trust provided initial set up and running costs as part of a three-year research project awarded to Sue Franklin and David Howard. They have continued to provide support to the Aphasia Centre, contributing to a position whose focus is the Aphasia Centre. The Trust also funded the initial development of the Newcastle University Aphasia Therapy Resources. This a set of resources designed for clinical practice when planning intervention.

Our work with people with aphasia

We put people with aphasia at the heart of the Centre. Our involvement extends to all our therapy and research work. We consult people with aphasia on changes, developments and projects via the Aphasia Research User Group (ARUG).

We also involve people with aphasia directly in our teaching about aphasia. the Aphasia Cafe is a social meeting place within the Centre for people with aphasia. Both the Aphasia Centre and NETA use this. Most of NETA's trustees are people with aphasia and their families.

Our work with speech and language therapists

We work with speech and language therapists in the local area. We ensure the Aphasia Centre works within the care pathways for people with aphasia in the region. We receive a high number of appropriate referrals each year. We're well supported by local services.

Many therapists visit us on observational or working placements. This helps their continuing professional development.

University clinicians and NHS therapists work together to provide an exchange of ideas and work practices. This ensures the best possible services for people with aphasia.

Our work with NETA

We work with The North East Trust for Aphasia (NETA), a local charity for people with aphasia. It offers longer-term support for people with aphasia and their families. Two of our speech and language therapists are trustees of the organisation and we maintain a close working relationship.

Its Aphasia Support Centre, like the Aphasia Centre, offers users longer-term support.

The Support Centre is firmly embedded within local speech and language therapy services. They are key stakeholders who will play a large part, along with its members, in shaping its future.