Fix SLP: Advocacy & Accountability in Speech-Language Pathology

Dr. Jeanette Benigas | SLP, Advocate, PhD
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Fix SLP is an SLP Podcast by Dr. Jeanette Benigas about advocacy, autonomy, and reform in Speech-Language Pathology. This show exposes credentialing gatekeeping, dismantles CCC requirements, and helps SLPs advocate for change. Each episode equips SLPs with tools to reclaim their profession. Subscribe now and join the movement transforming speech-language pathology. Follow @fix.slp on Instagram and TikTok. Visit fixslp.com.

  1. 5D AGO

    State by State: Virginia SLP Association, Advocacy & 2026 Conference

    In this State by State episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas talks with Emily Bromer. MS/SLP, from the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV), about what a state membership organization actually does and why it matters for SLPs. They discuss how SHAV supports Virginia SLPs and audiologists, the benefits of state association membership, CE opportunities, student leadership development, how advocacy priorities are set, and details about the 2026 SHAV Annual Conference in Richmond, Virginia, including a special discount for nonmembers using the code FIXSLP10. If you’ve ever questioned whether joining your state association is worth it, this episode offers a practical look at how state-level professional organizations build community, shape policy, and support clinicians. Learn more about the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia, and don't forget to use code FIXSLP50 for $75 off the non-member registration at the SHAV annual conference, March 30-31. In case you missed them:➡ Ed Bice, M.Ed./SLP, acting president of the Speech-Hearing Association of Virginia, discusses SHAV's petition to eliminate provisional licenses and grant full licensure to new grads immediately upon graduation in episode 93. ➡ Listen in on an open and honest conversation about burnout, fear of mistakes, productivity pressure, and why so many clinicians feel like they’re never doing enough, even when they’re doing everything in episode 106. 🛠️ Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    24 min

  2. FEB 5

    SLPs Are Asking About ASHA’s CCC Refund Policy: Here’s Why

    In this solo episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, unpacks why speech-language pathologists across the country are suddenly questioning ASHA’s CCC refund policy, and what changed to prompt those questions. Many clinicians are discovering, often for the first time, that ASHA membership and the Certificate of Clinical Competency (CCC) are bundled in ways that were never clearly explained on renewal invoices or on ASHA's website, and that refunds are cut off after January 1. This episode explains what ASHA’s refund policy actually says, how it applies to both membership and certification, why assumptions about “required” credentials are starting to fall apart, and why SLPs may be owed a refund if one is requested. Jeanette also explains how employer misrepresentation, unclear renewal processes, and shifting information environments have contributed to confusion, and why this moment isn’t about outrage, but about transparency. You’ll hear practical guidance on consumer protections, documentation, and appropriate channels for raising concerns, including state consumer protection offices and the attorney general's complaints process. This episode is about clarity, informed choice, and understanding your rights when credentials, money, and employment intersect. 🛠️ Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    43 min

  3. JAN 29

    The Myth of the Perfect SLP

    Burnout is driving talented SLPs out of the profession, and perfectionism is a major reason why. In this episode, we break down the myth of the “perfect SLP” and how unrealistic expectations that start in grad school, intensify through credentialing culture, and follow clinicians into the workplace are breaking speech-language pathologists. We talk honestly about burnout, fear of mistakes, productivity pressure, and why so many clinicians feel like they’re never doing enough, even when they’re doing everything. This conversation reframes burnout as a systemic problem, not a personal failure, and names what SLPs actually need to stay in the field. If you missed the infamous Dr. Kroll and Phuong Palafox discuss burnout, get caught up here! Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 4m

  4. JAN 20

    Proof of Life

    After an unexpected eight-week silence, Dr. Jeanette Benigas returns to the Fix SLP Podcast to explain where she’s been, what’s been happening behind the scenes, and why stepping away was necessary. In this episode, Jeanette addresses burnout in speech-language pathology, advocacy fatigue, care partner strain, and the pressure of being constantly accessible while leading a clinician-driven movement. She speaks directly to listeners, supporters, and sustaining partners who felt confused or unsettled by the silence, offering transparency without dramatization. You’ll also hear how Fix SLP is moving forward with clearer boundaries, better planning, and a more sustainable approach to podcasting and advocacy, so the work can continue without burning out the people doing it. If you’re an SLP navigating burnout or invested in clinician-led advocacy, this episode offers clarity, accountability, and a path forward. Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    25 min

  5. 11/13/2025

    Real SLP Stories: Grad Student Discrimination, CCC Confusion & F-Code Insurance Chaos

    In this listener mailbag episode, SLP grad students, clinicians, and private practice owners call the Minivan Meltdown line to share what’s really happening behind the scenes in our field. First, a grad student with a repaired bilateral cleft lip and palate describes a supervisor who told her she “can’t be a good SLP” because of her speech difference. Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis, SLP, break down discrimination in training, how CCC standards exclude disabled and Deaf clinicians, and why difference is not disorder. Next, a medical SLP who accidentally dropped her CCC in 2008 shares what happened when she kept her state license and kept working. We talk shame culture, confusion around the CCC, mutual recognition agreements, and why so many CCC “rules” fall apart under scrutiny. Finally, a private practice owner in Kentucky explains how pediatric F-codes (like F80) were treated as “mental health” diagnoses, triggering visit caps, mass denials, and 12–18 month reimbursement delays. We unpack F-code chaos, the Mental Health Parity Act, and why small practices shouldn’t be the ones stuck fighting insurers. If you’ve ever been gaslit by a supervisor, confused by the CCC, or crushed by insurance games, this episode is your reminder: you’re not the problem. The system is. Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    38 min

  6. 11/06/2025

    The Invisible Workload of School-Based SLPs: Research, Burnout, and Leadership Fails

    SLP burnout isn’t a personal failure; it’s a systems problem. In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, talk with researchers Dr. Tobias Kroll (Texas Tech) and Phuong Palafox, SLP, about their study, “The Invisible Workload of School-Based SLPs.” We cover why SLPs are advocating (and being ignored), how caseload vs. workload, siloed roles, and “martyr culture” fuel overwhelm, and where leadership and IDEA compliance pressure go off the rails. You’ll hear practical wins that work now, and bigger-picture fixes universities and national orgs must lead. If you’ve ever been told to “practice self-care” while your schedule balloons, this conversation gives language, evidence, and steps to push back... together. 💛 Connect with Phuong Palafox on her website or Instagram. 🧡 Connect with Dr. Tobias Kroll on his website, ResearchGate, or LinkedIn. Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 11m

  7. 10/30/2025

    Union Power & Policy Change: Oregon SLPs Ended Pay-Per-Visit (Home Health & Hospice)

    Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, sits down with Oregon SLP Kara Hayden, MS/SLP, to unpack how clinicians organized, lobbied, and helped pass a state law requiring hourly pay, ending pay-per-visit in home health and hospice. They cover timelines, productivity pressure, joining an existing nurses’ union, building a small core team, securing a sponsor, writing testimony, and answering the big question: “Won’t agencies just pay less?” If you’re ready to push for change in your state, pay models, Medicaid rules, or workplace policies, this episode gives you the blueprint and the courage to start. Brought to you by Verse Therapy, the business-in-a-box solution for SLPs who want to start, run, and grow private practice with confidence. Verse Therapy makes private practice a realistic option by providing an AI-integrated EHR, marketing support, cohort trainings, and a team that helps you build your brand and run your practice like a pro. Learn more at versetherapy.com. Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    50 min

  8. 10/23/2025

    I Let My CCC Expire… Then Chose to Reinstate

    After letting her CCC lapse without regret, Christal Washington, MS/SLP, later chose to reinstate, on her own terms, to help the private practice she works at grow. She shares the exact process, Praxis prep, and timeline, plus what she learned about working without the CCC. This honest story strips away the fear and shows what reinstatement really looks like when the choice is yours. Brought to you by Informed Jobs, founded by Dr. Meredith Harold — because the right job shouldn’t require the wrong credentials. If you missed her viral episode “You’re Not Making $60/hour: The Lies Buried in SLP Job Posts,” go listen now. Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

    41 min
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4.9
out of 5
209 Ratings

About

Fix SLP is an SLP Podcast by Dr. Jeanette Benigas about advocacy, autonomy, and reform in Speech-Language Pathology. This show exposes credentialing gatekeeping, dismantles CCC requirements, and helps SLPs advocate for change. Each episode equips SLPs with tools to reclaim their profession. Subscribe now and join the movement transforming speech-language pathology. Follow @fix.slp on Instagram and TikTok. Visit fixslp.com.

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