ACRM Virtual Happy Hour

ACRM Stroke ISIG Aphasia & Other Communication Disorders Task Force Virtual Happy Hour

A recording of this webinar is now freely available: 

https://acrm.org/acrm-communities/stroke/stroke-virtual-happy-hour/

(scroll down and click on the red button "Watch the Webinar" to access the video or click here for a direct link to the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-8FPOeQu_k&t=17s ).

Please share widely with your interdisciplinary colleagues!

Elissa Larkin, MS, CCC-SLP, HEC-C moderated a fantastic interdisciplinary panel discussion about how communication partner training can transform patient engagement, enhance interdisciplinary teamwork, and improve rehabilitation outcomes. The clinician trainees discussed how communication partner training impacted their clinical practice and patient and family interactions, and a person who is a stroke survivor living with aphasia shared her experiences with clinicians who did and did not know how to accommodate her communication needs during clinical care.

---

Presented on:

August 14th, 2025

4:00 PM ET

The Power of Communication Partner Training in Rehabilitation: Evidence, Models, and Impact on Interdisciplinary Clinical Practice and Patient Experience

This special discussion will be moderated by Elissa Larkin, MS, CCC-SLP, HEC-C, a Research Speech-Language Pathologist and certified Healthcare Ethics Consultant at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Elissa brings expertise in bioethics, communication access, and interprofessional training, and was the 2023 recipient of ASHA’s Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement.

Speakers:

Juliana C. Valentin, PT, DPT, NCS

Lindsay Escott, OTD

Katy Hattula, MS

Webinar link: https://acrm.org/acrm-communities/stroke/stroke-virtual-happy-hour/

Session Description

Effective communication is essential for high-quality, equitable care. Many patients across rehabilitation settings experience challenges related to speech, language, cognition, and voice, and their care providers must be able to accommodate their communication needs.  This panel will introduce Communication Partner Training (CPT)—an evidence-based approach shown to enhance provider communication with patients with diverse communication needs.

The session features a CPT facilitator, clinician trainees (from OT and PT backgrounds), and a stroke survivor with aphasia. Together, they will explore:

• CPT evidence and implementation strategies

• Real-world impacts on interdisciplinary practice and patient care

• Lived experiences of clinical communication access

Free and Open to the Public – No ACRM membership required! No registration needed!

All disciplines welcome: SLPs, PTs, OTs, nurses, MDs, case managers, researchers, and students.

This session supports the mission of our Task Force: to increase aphasia education among rehabilitation professionals and promote interdisciplinary research and care that enhances communication access and quality of life.

📅 Monthly Meetings: We meet virtually every third Monday at 12:00 PM ET 

Questions or interested in joining the Task Force?

Contact Co-Chairs:

Amy Vogel-Eyny – avoge@hunter.cuny.edu

Mara Steinberg Lowe – mara.lowe@qc.cuny.edu