Gladenbach, Germany – Speech therapist Hanna Schmidt recently launched her own practice in gladenbach, addressing a important need for language and communication support in the region. Schmidt, who holds a Master’s degree in clinical linguistics – distinguishing her training from traditionally certified speech therapists – began her self-employment venture earlier this year after completing her studies across ten semesters, earning both a Bachelor’s in language and communication and a Master’s. She previously gained practical experience in practices located in marburg and Wetzlar.
While Schmidt’s clientele is primarily children, comprising approximately 90 percent of her patients, she also works with adults recovering speech lost due to illness. “They were already able to speak, but due to their illness they can no longer say the words they have in their heads,” Schmidt explained, noting the challenges of relearning to communicate.
The demand for speech therapy is underscored by national statistics: roughly 20 percent of the 270,000 people who experience a stroke annually in Germany develop speech disorders, with around 60 percent facing lasting impairments. Doctors categorize these disorders as aphasia (affecting language formulation) or dysarthria (affecting speech articulation), frequently enough alongside dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). The severity of speech loss varies depending on the stroke’s impact and the affected brain regions,ranging from difficulty finding words to communicating solely through single words.
Beyond her practice, Schmidt is contributing to the future of the field by teaching phonetics and linguistics to aspiring speech therapists at the Marburg speech therapy school and leading a seminar on “speech disorders in the context of primary disorders” within the Master’s programme at Philipps University, beginning this winter semester. “It’s really an exciting job,” Schmidt stated, “Every appointment is different, every patient is individual, no two working days are the same.”
