The History of 'The Talking House'
My husband and I moved to Leeds, and I began to specialise in children with language disorders. I was hungry – I have always researched and pursued theory – always looking to answer ‘Why?’ and always tried to look for creative and novel ways of doing things; setting up new groups, working with parents, partaking in joint work with other professionals, and the improvements in many children and their families have been significant and, in some cases, exceeded all expectations. I have never been afraid to say ‘
Keen to share my knowledge and a desire to help as many children as I could, I returned to the NHS. I quickly became disillusioned with what I was ‘allowed’ to do, and simply couldn’t bear the limitations on the service I was able to provide, when I knew so much more could be done. After leaving the NHS, I worked for six years at St John’s school for the Deaf in Boston Spa, and progressed from a part-time therapist to head of department. I worked intensively over this time with children with complex needs that were above and beyond language disorders, and learnt the value of intensive intervention and teaching in a fun, functional and practical way. I also learned amazing techniques for teaching children to speak for the first time.
In 2010, I finally decided to set up my own independent practice, ‘The Talking House Ltd’, and began seeing children and their families privately. ‘The Talking House’ was intended to be, and still is, a culmination of everything I believe in, first and foremost that parents should be paramount in their children’s lives. I wanted to set up something that allowed a demonstration of my expertise, and filled the gaps that my NHS colleagues are unable to cover. I worked in homes and from our little garden office. The children loved coming to – the talking house! They particularly enjoyed meeting the chickens! Within no time at all, I realised the practice had more work than I personally could take on, and we had something really major to offer. People started saying how much of a difference I was making. My independent practice quickly became a full business, with
“On a personal note as a mum entering The Talking House for the first time with my son James, we felt warmly welcome and at ease. Julie made therapy fun for James to learn especially through games and topics relevant to home and school life. Speech therapy was adapted to make James grow in confidence. When he began high school Julie took part in a team meeting and suggested ideas for school and parents around how we could make James’ school environment more comfortable to manage. The Talking House is always there with good ideas and help to make your child’s development in life easier. A big thank you to all of the team.”
The Talking House, Stables Lane, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 6BX
Contact Us At ‘The Talking House’
Fill in the ‘Contact Us At ‘The Talking House Ltd’ form and Julie or one her team will get back in touch with you. Please let us know your preferred method of contact too.
Contact Us At The Talking House
Don’t be afraid to look silly! For those children who are a little forgetful when it comes to making eye contact, why not give them a friendly visual reminder by sticking eyes on your forehead or their favourite character!
This tip is great for those children who report anxiety or distress when making eye contact. Encouraging them to look at someone’s forehead is a helpful trick for preventing any discomfort whilst not offending someone by avoiding eye contact altogether.
