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HOW TO BECOME A BOARD RECOGNIZED FLUENCY SPECIALIST?
1. Contact the SBFD office by phone (561-373-8946), email,
sbfd@bellsouth.net or by letter to: Liz Blake, M.S., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD, 860 US Highway #1, North Palm Beach, FL 33408
2. Identify mentor from the list of fluency specialists.
3. Submit BRS-FD Candidate Application and Specialty Recognition Plan and select mentor.
Sample Specialty Recognition Plan
4. Board approval to proceed is required. Pay Application Fee. In the manual on line on the Specialist Website.
5. Complete Continuing Education Requirements.
6. Complete Guided Practice Requirements.
7. Create portfolio and videotape of three case studies. Submit to the Board for approval.
8. Pass the written examination of the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders. Pay $50.00 examination administration fee prior to taking the exam.
9. The Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders approves you to be designated as a Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders.
10. Receive the Certificate of Specialty Recognition in Fluency Disorders.
11. You have earned the designation of fluency specialist and may use the official designator of BRS-FD as in: Charles Van Riper, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD.
III. STANDARDS AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR SPECIALTY RECOGNITION IN FLUENCY DISORDERS
The Standards for Specialty Recognition in Fluency Disorders were created to provide a fair and consistent method for preparing and assessing a set of knowledge and skills required for an individual to receive and maintain the advanced credential of BRS-FD. Specific implementation language has been provided to further clarify and interpret the standards.
STANDARD A - ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for Board Recognition an individual must hold a current Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology ( CCC-SLP) issued by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).They must also have a minimum of 2 years of full-time equivalent clinical experience, including clinical experience with clients who have fluency disorders. The applicant’s clinical fellowship (CF) may count toward fulfilling the required 2 years of full-time equivalent clinical experience. In addition the applicant must have completed a graduate-level course devoted to fluency and fluency disorders with a grade of B or better from a program accredited by the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA).
Implementation:
•Applicants must submit with their application documentation of their current Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by ASHA.
•A photocopy of a current ASHA Membership card is acceptable.
•Documentation of professional work experiences shall accompany the application. Documents could include but are not limited to:
- A list of employment with types/ ages of clients served.
- A letter from an administrator attesting to the types/ages of clients served.
- Letters from parents of child-aged clients, adult clients, or other family members who can attest to the applicants work experience.
- An official transcript showing the required course in fluency disorders must be provided with the application.
STANDARD B - SPECIALTY RECOGNITION PROGRAM (SRP)
The Specialty Recognition Program is the foundation for developing and achieving the knowledge and skills necessary for qualifying to take the examination for Board Recognition in Fluency Disorders. The SRP is based on a model utilizing BRS-FD mentors to guide and assist prospective specialists through the process.
The applicant must satisfactorily complete the BRS-FD Program within 5 years of the date of the Board’s approval of the applicant’s program. Exemptions to the 5 year requirement may be granted by a majority vote of the Specialty Board if the applicant submits a written request to the Board prior to the conclusion of the applicant’s fourth year of candidacy. The Board shall respond to such written requests within ninety (90) days of receiving the request at the official board office.
The program consists of four parts: 1) Mentoring, 2) Continuing Education, 3) Guided Clinical Practice and 4) Creating a Portfolio
Implementation:
Using the BRS-FD Application and Specialty Recognition Plan Form the applicant, in collaboration with their mentor, will develop a preliminary program plan to be submitted to the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders. This program plan will indicate how the applicant’s proposed continuing education and guided clinical practice activities will occur. Completion of these educational experiences and guided practice activities may occur concurrently; however, the applicant and the mentor must be sensitive to appropriate and professional sequences to ensure that knowledge precedes clinical practice. Revisions in the program plan must be submitted by the applicant and mentor for the Board's approval.
The final program plan must contain the signatures of the applicant and the mentor and be approved by the Board before initiation of the Program. The applicant will be notified of the plan’s approval or request for revisions in writing within 60 days of receipt of the Program Plan. The application fee (see section on fees) must accompany the submission of the BRS-FD Application and Specialty Recognition Plan Form
B - 1
Mentoring
To begin the Specialty Recognition approval program, the applicant will identify a mentor who is Board Recognized and who agrees to advise, guide, and support the applicant throughout the entire recognition process. An applicant maynot begin the program without an approved SRP by the SBFD a signed Candidate and Mentor Agreement (Section VI on the BRS-FD Application and Specialty Recognition Plan Form).
Implementation:
The use of mentors to enhance the education and training process for the development of BRS-FD is a key component of the Specialty Recognition Program. It is through the mutual effort of the mentor and the applicant that the applicant enhances skills, learns the profession’s norms and values, clarifies professional goals, and establishes contacts in the professional community. Additional mechanisms that facilitate applicant's professional development include encouragement that motivates them to realize their potential, supportive discussions of their anxiety or uncertainty about attaining Specialty Recognition, and assistance for perceiving themselves as peers of the mentor when specialty status is achieved.
All BRS-FD in good standing qualify to mentor new applicants and all mentors must be a BRS-FD with one exception. Initially the ranks of the Inaugural Cadre of BRS-FD Mentors was supplemented by individuals who decided not to pursue recognition as a BRS-FD but were widely recognized for their contributions to the skillful management of persons with fluency disorders. Such mentors were recruited as Inaugural Cadre Mentors by the Board as of December 31, 2000 and are eligible to serve as mentors for 5 years, through December 31, 2005. Beginning January 1, 2006 all mentors must be BRS-FD in good standing.
Fees may, but need not, be charged for BRS-FD mentoring services.
If a mentoring fee is charged, it must be specified in the Program Plan submitted to the SBFD by the applicant and mentor. BRS-FD mentoring costs to the applicant will be in addition to the Specialty Recognition Application Fees. The SBFD may maintain a registry that includes the nature and range of a mentors’ fees for BRS-FD mentoring services.
In addition to the mentor, other speech-language pathologists who are involved in thetraining of fluency specialty applicants may be remunerated for their services. There are no fees assessed by the Specialty Board to BRS-FD Mentors.
B - 2
Continuing Education
The candidate must provide proof that he/she is keeping pace with current
developments in the area of fluency disorders. A minimum of 10 [ten] ASHA Continuing Education Units [CEU’s] (100 hours) distributed across educational experiences that concern the nature, assessment, and treatment of fluency disorders in children and adults is required for successful completion of the BRS-FD Program. If the required hours have not been accumulated within 10 years prior to application, the candidate must specify within the plan how the required educational experiences will be achieved.
Implementation:
An applicant must provide proof of a minimum of 10 [ten] ASHA Continuing Education Units [CEUs] (100 hours) that meet the following guidelines:
• The 10 CEU’s (100 hours) must be distributed across educational experiences that concern the nature, assessment, and treatment of fluency disorders in children and adults.
• In the case of post master’s graduate coursework, related to fluency disorders, each one semester hour of coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning is deemed equivalent to 1.2 CEU’s (excluding the required graduate level course devoted to fluency and fluency disorders).
• CEU’s must have been obtained no more than 10 years prior to application submission date.
B - 3
Guided Clinical Practice
An applicant must complete the two phases of guided clinical practice as they relate to the assessment and treatment of children and adults with fluency disorders. The two phases must include a variety of effective therapy techniques using the “Guidelines for Practice in Stuttering Treatment” (ASHA,1994) (see Appendix J) as a frame of reference. All clinical activities should include attention to the affective, behavioral, cognitive and linguistic aspects of fluency and stuttering. The two phases of guided practice must be addressed in no fewer than 100 clock hours, must follow a sequence of observation prior to direct client contact and provide for adequate feedback to enable the applicant to improve their clinical skills.
Implementation:
- Phase 1- Observation and Case Studies:
- Applicant will observe the mentor, and/or clinicians approved by the mentor in clinical practice, engage in role playing, and participate in clinical discussions with mentor (maximum of 25 clock hours of the 100-hour minimum requirement).
- Phase 2 - Clinical Activity:
Applicant will demonstrate an appropriate level of proficiency to the mentor through the applicant’s direct contact with clients/families. Applicant must have client/parent sign appropriate release of information forms. Phase 2 requires carrying out these skills with clients, under the continued supervision of the mentor and/or clinicians approved by the mentor. Supplemental personal contact may include a variety of approaches, such as telephone conferences, audio and videotapes, and e-mail. (minimum of 75 hours).
B - 4
Creating a Portfolio
The applicant will develop a portfolio containing at least three case studies documenting the comprehension and mastery of clinical skills. The applicant’s portfolios will provide evidence of clinical decision making skills used to select appropriate treatment approaches and for ability and flexibility in modifying clinical strategies during the course of treatment. The portfolio must profile the rationale and activities addressed in the assessment, treatment, and outcome of at least three different clients/patients. Clients of different ages, severity levels and the use of a variety of treatment approaches should be reflected in the portfolio. When both the applicant and the mentor agree that the supporting materials are sufficient for specialty status, they shall be submitted to the Board for approval. Approval will be achieved by the majority vote of SBFD members. If consensus cannot be reached between the mentor and candidate regarding client portfolios, the applicant may appeal to the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.
Implementation:
The portfolio will be used by the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders to determine the applicant’s advanced skills and knowledge. Given that the portfolio is to include at least three case studies, applicants should be prepared to produce high quality videotapes of these clients far in advance of the compilation of the portfolio.
The portfolio is presented in a three-ring binder with appropriate confidentiality video forms (according to HIPAA guidelines, using only initials: no names). Each section of material in the binder should be separated with dividers that are clearly labeled to identify the information contained in each section. A complete copy of the portfolio and video is sent to each of the SLP Board members as well as to the Board office, to be retained in the applicant’s permanent file. The public member of the SBFD does not review portfolios.
The information in the three-ring binder must include the following items in the following order:
- Applicant’s Vita (listing of professional experiences and accomplishments).
- A copy of the Specialty Recognition Plan.
- Three separate client sections to include evaluation reports, case histories, observation and test results, treatment plans and client progress assessments.
- Applicant’s evaluation of these learning experiences in item #3. State specifically what you have learned and how have you applied your learning in general and in relation to the three clients? (maximum of 3 pages)
- Description of how the Guidelines for Practice in Stuttering Treatment have applied to the clinical experience with the three clients. (maximum of 3 pages)
- Mentor summary report: A statement regarding the experience of mentoring the applicant as well as attesting to his or her readiness to be a BRS-FD. (max 3 pages)
- Video Guide: A written description of each video segment providing proper context for the viewer. For example, at what point is this in treatment? What are the goal(s) for the session and an evaluation of the session? Were goals accomplished and if not, what adjustments might need to be made?, etc.
Guidelines for the Video Presentation
Videotape of selected client-clinician and parent-clinician interactions should include the following:
- Have high quality sound and picture, but edited so that it shows a demonstration of a range of activities addressing all elements of treatment: affective, behavioral and cognitive, as well as interactions with parents/spouses.
- Begin each client sequence of segments with a pre-treatment sample.
- Include as many segments as appropriate, showing samples of several different types of sessions. Present sessions over time in the proper sequence, concluding either with completion of treatment or with whatever stage your client has attained by the time you prepare your portfolio. Present each client in full sequence before presenting the next client.
- While there is no time limit on the video, consider that the Board members will be viewing the entire tape, so please keep it succinct and relevant to the purpose. Think about what you would like to see if viewing a tape of the work of some you don't know.
- Both video and its sleeve must be labeled with clients’ initials and ages and it is to be mailed either in a plastic, hard-covered video sleeve or a padded envelope to avoid damage.
- Please have faces showing on the tape.
STANDARD C - Written Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of the Specialty Recognition shall be Program and the applicant must pass with a minimum score of 70%. A written examination shall be developed and administered by a committee of the SBFD includes test items related to etiology, characteristics of typical and atypical fluency, theories of stuttering, assessment, treatment, prevention, recent research on stuttering, and ethical practice in treating fluency disorders (modifications and changes to the examination content and administration)
Implementation:
The SBFD’s written examination is administered on an individual basis. Applicants can take the exam at a time and place approved by the Board. The SBFD will make every effort to offer administration of the exam within 120 days following approval of the portfolio and the applicant’s request to take the examination. If the examination is not passed on the first attempt, the applicant has two additional opportunities to pass it. The applicant will pay a fee established by the Board for each exam administration. (See section on fees).