EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!‪.‬ Jennifer Branchini

Dr. Ali Navidi is a licensed clinical psychologist renowned for his expertise in gastro-psychology, a specialized field in neuroscience and gastrointestinal health. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Navidi has been instrumental in transforming lives, particularly those grappling with gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain, and intricate medical conditions. As Co-founder of GI Psychology and past President of the Northern Virginia Society of Clinical Hypnosis, he has pioneered innovative approaches in clinical hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy.
In this episode… Clinical hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy have emerged as effective therapeutic treatments for gastrointestinal disorders, particularly irritable bowel syndrome. How do these treatments harness the intricate connection between mind and body, empowering individuals to reclaim control over their gut health and overall well-being?
Underscoring the intricate interplay between the brain and gut health, Dr. Ali Navidi, a seasoned gastro-psychologist, explores the complex nature of chronic gastrointestinal conditions such as IBS — despite conventional medical assessments often showing no structural anomalies. Dr. Navidi emphasizes the need to address physical and psychological components in IBS management, advocating for a multifaceted approach involving psychotherapy, hypnosis, and collaborative care with medical professionals and dietitians. Additionally, he highlights hypnosis as a promising tool in addressing a spectrum of mental health issues beyond gastrointestinal ailments, including eating disorders, chronic pain, anxiety, and addiction, reiterating its versatility in clinical practice.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini hosts Dr. Ali Navidi, a seasoned clinical psychologist specializing in gastro-psychology, to discuss gut-brain connection and its impact on physical health. They delve into the brain’s role in chronic pain management, the importance of addressing psychosomatic factors, the stigma surrounding clinical hypnosis, and the effectiveness of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool for anxiety, addiction, and digestive issues.

Nick Prefontaine is the Founder and CEO of Common Goal, a coaching company providing people with support and tools to reach their potential. He is also a 3x bestselling author and was named a top motivational speaker in 2022 by Yahoo Finance. Using his proprietary STEP system, Nick helps individuals overcome their trauma.
In this episode… When faced with a terrifying ordeal, it can be arduous to continue fighting. With the right support, you can shift your mindset and overcome trauma with grace. How did a motivational speaker recover from multiple traumas to discover his calling?
At just 14 years old, Nick Prefontaine sustained a traumatic brain injury following a snowboarding accident. He received speech and physical therapy to relearn how to walk, talk, and swallow. After making a full recovery, he began experiencing tension in his vocal cords, impacting his speech once again. Through countless doctors, botox injections, and more speech therapy, Nick nearly lost hope, but after speaking at events and establishing a speaker persona, he developed a method to help others overcome their trauma. No matter what you’re facing in life — when you have a support system, trust those guiding you through the process, cultivate the energy to recover, and persevere through setbacks, you can alter your mindset to persist through anything.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel talk with Nick Prefontaine, the Founder and CEO of Common Goal, about how he persevered through trauma. Nick shares how he became a trauma coach, the mindset that saved him during his brain injury, and the stages of his recovery.

Christine Sproat, MA, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist and the Founder of Canyon Kids, a development and sensory-motor clinic. With over 20 years of experience, she has served children with autism and developmental delays, developing innovative and effective programs at home and in school. Christine’s research focuses on parent-therapist-child partnerships, primary prevention, and sensory processing disorders. Her work has been published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.
In this episode… Many parents associate occupational therapy with strokes and significant physical disabilities and refuse the treatment for their children. Yet OT is holistic, encompassing key functions that influence children’s development. How can you integrate OT treatments into your practice and educate parents about the process?
Pediatric occupational therapists evaluate children’s fine and gross motor skills and sensory, social, and emotional development. This often involves having kids participate in activities that include assembling blocks, climbing rock walls, and swinging on swings. Child development advocate and occupational therapist Christine Sproat notes that when engaging in sensory activities, children with speech and language delays may utter sounds they wouldn’t have made otherwise. She encourages speech therapists to incorporate swings and other sensory activities into their treatment protocols to stimulate language development. For occupational therapists, Christine suggests offering free educational screenings for parents to learn about the process.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel talk with Christine Sproat, the Founder of Canyon Kids, about integrating OT with SLP. Christine addresses the average developmental milestones for OT and cognitive skills, how to accelerate children’s growth mindsets, and how swimming can promote OT skill development.

Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Mount Sinai Health System and a Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the bidirectional impact of cognitive impairment in chronic diseases. Since 2020, Jacqueline has studied the cognitive effects of COVID. She is also Chair of the International Neuropsychological Society’s NeuroCOVID long-term outcomes task force committee.
In this episode… Four years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are beginning to discover the long-term effects of the virus. With symptoms ranging from fatigue and brain fog to non-specific myalgias and cardiovascular dysfunction, clinicians have developed clinical trials for treatments. How are neuropsychologists helping people recover from long COVID?
To be diagnosed with long COVID, patients must have noticeable cognitive and executive dysfunction, which can either be confirmed through a test or the individuals’ account of symptoms. As a devoted researcher into the cognitive impacts of COVID, Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD spearheads a neurological clinical trial focused on cognitive dysfunction. Aiming to provide holistic diagnostics and care, neuropsychologists work with speech pathologists to evaluate cognitive and executive functions through a series of tests involving memory, verbal learning, emotional regulation, and goal-management. Treatment involves working diligently with the individual to practice declining skills, leading to functional improvements and renewed performance.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel talk with Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD, a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Mount Sinai Health System and a Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine. Together, they discuss clinical trials studying long COVID. Jacqueline also shares examples of culturally offensive cognitive test questions, how neuropsychologists provide cognitive rehabilitation services, and her approach to evaluating executive functions.

Chris Niebauer is a tenured professor at Slippery Rock University, where he teaches courses on mindfulness, consciousness, left- and right-brain differences, and AI. He received his PhD in cognitive neuropsychology, specializing in the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the human brain. Chris is also the author of No Self No Problem, which explores the connection between neuropsychology and Buddhism.
In this episode… Many people are at war with their minds and struggle to reduce negative thoughts. They allow their consciousness to control them, becoming enslaved by their thoughts and leading to anxiety. There’s a way to overcome this toxic pattern, but it’s not what you may expect.
Contemporary neuropsychological methods teach us to combat these thoughts through cognitive behavioral therapy and other repetitive behaviors and thought patterns. After suffering from severe neurosis that overtook his daily life, neuropsychological researcher Chris Niebauer, PhD discovered traditional Eastern schools of thought that taught him that you can’t think your way out of a mental crisis. This leads to overthinking, which can send you further into a spiral. Instead, you must be mindful of the moment and only focus on the task at hand. This requires utilizing the right side of your brain, which is more relaxed.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel welcome Chris Niebauer, PhD, who talks about how to retrain your brain to remain mindful. Chris shares his definition of consciousness, how AI impacts neurology and neuroscience, and how the left brain manifests happiness and self-acceptance.

Gabriele Nicolet, MA, CCC-SLP is the Founder of SpeechKids, a private, holistic speech therapy and parent mentoring practice. As a speech-language pathologist and certified parent coach with over 20 years of experience, she helps families and children with speech and language difficulties increase communication success. Gabriele’s profound ability to translate information from children and develop strategies for reducing behavioral challenges has helped parents understand why their child acts the way they do. Through her course Raising Orchid Kids, she empowers parents to truly see, understand, and cater to their children’s needs.
In this episode… Research has shown that autism, ADHD, or other special needs conditions may invite stigma and the loss of a parent's feeling of normalcy. How can parents truly understand their children and help them improve their quality of life?
According to Gabriele Nicolet MA, CCC-SLP, a trained speech pathologist, the focus should be on the child's functioning and ability to express their needs, rather than the diagnosis. Gabriele started parent coaching to empathize with the challenges of parenting and teaching special needs, stressing that the stigma surrounding autism and other conditions can hinder the ability of children to learn and develop. Highlighting the relationship between gut health and brain health, she emphasizes the impact of diet on a special needs child’s nervous system, especially with regard to attention, memory, and language learning. Gabriele also addresses tongue-tie and its effect on feeding habits and oral development, therapy approaches in speech therapy, and why teachers' personality types are a crucial factor in education and stress management.
In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini hosts Gabriele Nicolet MA, CCC-SLP, the Founder of SpeechKids and Raising Orchid Kids, to demystify the negative stigma of neurodivergent children. Sharing her experiences as a communication specialist and parent coach, Gabriele explains the importance of the nervous system and diet, how to create a supportive environment, and tongue-tie's impact on speech and feeding.