Phuong Lien Palafox

It feels dense right now with helping a district close out their school year, investing alongside a new (incredible) 2-year-old client and family, and preparing for end-of-year workshops and keynotes.

This morning, between my walk and some head-and-heart space to create, I found myself feeling grateful. This is what I wanted to do with my life, and I’m doing it.

Alt text: Dark charcoal graphic with white minimalist text reflecting on communication, advocacy, autonomy, and joy in speech-language therapy. The centered closing reads, “I am a speech-language therapist. This is what I get to do.” The creator handle, , appears subtly at the bottom.

Still on cloud nine about this one.
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Alt text:
Text slide about loving clouds since 2nd grade, comparing cumulus clouds to har gow dumplings, and reflecting on 23 years as a speech-language therapist.

Text slide describing a client’s love of Pokémon, theatre, family, and nature, alongside shared cloud lore during walks outside.

Text slide about finding a Cloud Collector’s Handbook for 25 cents and bonding over mammatus clouds.

Text slide describing spotting mammatus clouds, receiving a photo from a client’s dad, and the child asking to send it to “Auntie Phuong.”

Text slide reflecting on a shared moment between therapist and client, communication as mutual participation, and small details known about one another.

Text slide sharing reflections on trust, communication, and meaningful time spent alongside a student. Signed “Love, Phuong.”

Gray mammatus clouds hang above silhouetted trees and rooftops during a golden Texas sunset.

Short video of Phuong looking through Cloud Collector’s Handbook and stopping on page about Mamma Clouds.

We did the research.
Now, we need the stories.
10,000 of them.

Survey Link: https://tthsclubbock.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_03pEtjbwkBSKTum
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Visual Description:

Purple slide announcing a national follow-up study on the invisible workload of school-based SLPs connected to Palafox, Kroll, & Morgan (2025).
Purple slide listing workload expectations placed on school-based SLPs and asking what invisible workload does to SLPs.
Purple slide describing how school-based SLPs feel supported, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between, alongside study focus areas.
Purple slide inviting school-based SLPs to take and share a five-minute anonymous national survey.
White flyer for the “School-Based SLPs: Workload and Overwhelm” research study with QR code and survey information.
Purple slide stating “No SLP is a deficit. Systems are.” and discussing sustainable support for school-based SLPs.
Gray slide with survey QR code and Instagram handle .

Why is it assumed that people should just communicate with us because we’re communication specialists? Communication is not owed.

Text 1: “Meaningful communication is earned through connection and meaning. Not compliance.” “Elicited” is crossed out. Text 2: “Otherwise it’s just performance.”

Why is it assumed that people should just communicate with us because we’re communication specialists?Communication is not owed.

Text 1: “Meaningful communication is earned through connection and meaning. Not compliance.” “Elicited” is crossed out. Text 2: “Otherwise it’s just performance.”

JOY. JOY. JOY. JOY ON.

Slide 1: Text introducing “Communication JOY” and 22 years as an SLP.

Slide 2: Toddler joyfully playing with an excavator and scooping dirt.

Slide 3: Student discovering a feeling of relaxation during yoga storytelling.

Slide 4: Reconnecting years later while preparing for a workshop.

Slide 5: Message that communication joy matters and should be nurtured.

Slide 6: Child-created mural of students, school, and sky at Laurel Mountain Elementary.