Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Rodriguez.
Hi Cindy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants; I was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, and grew up in a Spanish-speaking home. This is the foundation of who I am and has shaped what I am doing today.
I didn’t go into college with the intention of becoming a speech therapist. During undergrad, I was very interested in learning more about my culture and decided to take Chicano Studies courses. I had also always been very interested in how people produce speech sounds. After taking an introduction to communication disorders class, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in speech therapy. I majored in Communicative Disorders and minored in Chicano Studies from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). I continued at CSUF to obtain my Master of Arts degree in Communicative Disorders.
I have been a speech therapist for ten years. I have provided services to children and adults in a variety of settings. Last year, I decided I wanted to start my own practice. I am currently a solo practitioner and owner of Esperanza Speech Therapy. I mainly provide in-home speech therapy services to toddlers and preschool children.
Most of my clients come from Spanish-speaking homes. I have found it very rewarding to go into homes that are very similar to mine growing up and help families feel comfortable with someone who can relate to them, not only linguistically but culturally. I work directly with parents during the treatment process. I am happy to be available to families who are Spanish-speaking/bilingual and have limited Spanish-language service providers available to them, considering that 10% of speech therapists in California and only 5% of speech therapists nationwide are Spanish-speaking. I am grateful to have had Spanish as my first language as a child because being a bilingual speech therapist has opened many opportunities in different ways.
Not only do I provide speech therapy services, but I have also delivered presentations to other local organizations where I educate parents on speech and language development and share language strategies to parents to help them support their child’s language development. I have tied my passion for speech therapy to my cultural and linguistic background and feel like I am giving back to my community through Esperanza Speech Therapy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, I learned to overcome higher education struggles somewhat smoothly as a first-generation college student with the support of my close loved ones. I’ve learned how to overcome challenges as a speech therapist through lived experiences, lessons, and with the support of other speech therapists around me. However, being a business owner has been a different ball game. Managing a business has been a learning experience. There are different hurdles to overcome and struggles I have faced that I hadn’t dealt with in the past. I continue to learn how to manage my business and face new trials as my practice keeps growing. No struggle has been too great to stop me from doing what I love.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Esperanza Speech Therapy is a bilingual speech and language service provider. Services include free 15-minute phone consultations, speech and language evaluations, individualized therapy, and parent coaching. In-home evaluations and therapy are available to families that reside in Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster. Virtual services are available to residents of California. I integrate parent coaching strategies during my therapy sessions, but I also offer parent coaching sessions to parents who may want 1:1 time to learn how to help their child communicate during daily routines and activities.
For other professionals and organizations who work with children, I offer presentations for the organization’s staff or parents of their clients.
My areas of specialty include working with early intervention clients (children under 3 and their families), receptive and expressive language delays/disorders, speech sound disorders (articulation/phonology), parent coaching, and bilingual speech and language development and disorders.
I offer all services in English, Spanish, or both. I am proud to be one of the few bilingual speech therapists in Orange County certified in parent coaching.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
During Covid-19, I learned how to be a tele-therapist. Up to that point, I had only provided speech therapy services in person. When the pandemic hit, and in-person contact was limited, speech therapy became virtual. Unfortunately, many individuals needing speech therapy went without services during the height of the pandemic. Virtual services provided an opportunity for some clients to receive the services they needed via telehealth.
I learned how to adapt my service delivery to clients of different needs and ages through telehealth platforms. I’ve learned that virtual speech therapy is just as convenient and effective as in-person therapy for some clients, and it’s a service model I offer to clients who are California residents but don’t reside in the cities I service in-home. Offering virtual therapy to my clients is a blessing for me and my business because it allows me to work from home and be close to my husband and children while helping others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.esperanzaspeechtherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esperanzaspeechtherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esperanzaspeech
Image Credits
37th Photography
