Josephine Chen
Dear Readers: I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself. I am a licensed speech and language pathologist who is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. I am licensed in California, Connecticut, and New York State. After moving from New Mexico to Connecticut in 1980, I worked in a number of acute and rehabilitation hospitals. Among which, for five and a half years I worked at Helen Hayes Hospital in Rockland County, New York, with a group of amazing speech and language pathologists. At the hospital, I was fortunate to have worked on the learning disability team and the cranio-facial team. On those teams, I was able to work corroboratively with a pediatrician, neurologist, surgeon, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, clinical psychologist, audiologist, social worker, special education teacher, occupational therapist and physical therapist. What a wonderful experience I had and I was grateful for it.
In 1988, I established the Center for Speech and Language Pathology, a private practice that served communities surrounding Greenwich and Norwalk, Connecticut. Working with pediatric and adult patients and their families was most rewarding and satisfying. Our clinicians and I worked with a variety of disorders including early language development; feeding with infants, toddlers and preschoolers; tongue thrust swallow, articulation and phonological disorders; school age receptive and expressive language; language-based learning disabilities including word retrieval and auditory language processing; voice disorders including vocal cord dysfunction; stuttering, and aphasia/stroke. Being in the profession that I am passionate about is truly a blessing.
In addition to treating patients, I also made it my mission to train clinical fellows. Not only I want all of my patients to reach their potential in speech, language, learning and communication, but also, I want to help young clinicians to be the best they can be as a well-rounded speech and language pathologist. I am blessed to have worked with so many young clinicians who are enthusiastic, passionate and eager to learn. We are all continuously learning and progressing together in our field.
Now, I want to shift my attention and focus to providing families with basic information about our field, and about speech and language disorders that may have touched their lives on this website and blog.
Where was I educated?
I received my master of science degree from The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Masters of Science education program in speech-language pathology at UNM was staffed with excellent professors who instilled in me the passion and desire to serve and help others with the academic and clinical knowledge that I acquired during my three years in the program.
New Mexico is a state of cultural diversity that is expressed in arts, architecture, language, and traditions. The English writer and poet D.H. Lawrence had his resting place at the D. H. Lawrence Ranch in Taos, New Mexico; and, Georgia O’Keeffe painted the New Mexico landscape. Her home, which was also her studio, in Abiquiu was designated a national historic landmark. The years I lived in New Mexico broadened my appreciation of diverse culture and arts.
I received my Bachelor of Law degree in Economics at the College of Law and Commerce in National Chung Hsing University in Taipei, Taiwan. While waiting to enter the graduate study in economics, I took some courses in communication disorders, and that changed my life. I entered a field of helping professions in speech and language pathology, which brought me satisfaction and internal rewards in a lifelong career.
Interests Outside of My Field
Travel: “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls,” – Anais Nin.
While traveling domestically and aboard, I found that people are more alike than different. Traveling is learning and self-improvement, that makes me appreciate humanity to see people in so many places and countries are kind and compassionate.
Arts: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
I find it such a pleasure to enjoy all art forms: literature, painting, drawing, music, dance and other performing arts.
Other activities: Like many, cooking, gardening, reading, listening to podcasts of The Moth, TED talk, This American Life are my pastime.
