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Passion For Helping Others Leads to Career Path

by Jocelyn Ottenbreit
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Christina Beck has always had a passion for teaching others. Her love of swimming grew to become a lifeguard, where she taught at the Martensville Aquatic Centre for five summers and continues to teach swimming lessons and lifeguard. This is where she discovered she wanted to find a profession where she could teach and help others by sharing her knowledge.

Encouraged by her mom who is a high school teacher in Martensville, she was introduced to the career of Speech-Language Pathology. Christina stated that, “During my grade 12 year, I was able to shadow a few different SLP’s in a variety of settings. From then on, I was determined to become a Speech-Language Pathologist.”

Beck graduated from Bishop James Mahoney High School, and after graduation, she moved to Minot, North Dakota. She attended Minot State University for both her undergrad and graduate degrees. “I earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders, a Minor in Honors, and a Concentration in Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I then earned a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2019.”

Speech-Language Pathologists work on a variety of individuals from across the lifespan, ranging from infants, all the way to seniors. Beck said that they may provide intervention for infants who have difficulty feeding and swallowing, or individuals who have strokes and are now having difficulty functioning in life due to loss of their swallow, speech, and/or language.

Beck’s private practice is called “Living Sky Speech & Language Services”, which targets the toddler/preschool/school-aged population. Some of the areas that they can help may include; toddlers who are late talkers, children who have difficulty producing speech sounds or understanding language, and difficulty combining words and making sentences. “We can also help children who stutter or have difficulties with literacy, children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, or children who have childhood apraxia of speech.”

Play is a very natural context for a child according to Beck and that is why they  use a play-based, family-centered therapy approach. “The way children play reflects how they see the world around them. By using a play-based approach, it allows a child to progress with their speech and language goals in the most natural, fun, and positive environment possible.”

Living Sky Speech & Language Services is located in the north end of Saskatoon. Treatment services can be offered either in your home, at her office, (which is home-based) or through teletherapy! A therapy delivery model can be designed to meet the needs of all families with COVID-19 protocols being carefully followed for all sessions.

Beck is also offering an Early Language class via Zoom on Saturday, March 6 at 2:00PM and Monday, March 8 at 2:00PM. This class will discuss how parents can promote speech and language in their toddler from birth to around age 2. After the class, she will be available to answer any questions parents might have. The cost for this 1-hour parent class will be $20.00.

If parents would like to book an appointment, they can do so by calling 306-612-3344 or by e-mailing christina.beck@livingskyspeech.ca. If you want to register for the Early Language Zoom class you can register by calling this same phone number.

For parents wanting more information, or to book an appointment, check-out her website at www.livingskyspeech.ca.

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