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The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and the Norma S. and Ray R. Rees Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic offers an innovative and cutting-edge group treatment program for persons with aphasia. The Aphasia Treatment Program (ATP) was established by CSD Professor Emerita, Dr. Jan Avent in 1996. The program is proudly founded on the principles of the Life Participation Approach for Aphasia, championed worldwide by leading aphasiologists (see ). This approach places the life concerns of persons with aphasia at the heart of clinical decision-making. Further, this approach prioritizes the meaningful participation of persons with aphasia in society. ATP provides a rich social environment for persons with aphasia to interact with peers who have aphasia, graduate student clinicians, trained volunteers, and program faculty who are all nationally certified and state-licensed speech-language pathologists.

There are three types of sessions available, offered in-person, on-line, or in a hybrid model that uses both. These are our Communication Groups, Exercise Groups, and the Aphasia Tones Choir.  See more details below.

ATP Communication Groups:  Graduate student clinicians facilitate a variety of 75 minute communication groups on Mondays and Wednesdays that promote conversational skills and social participation. Our groups are either theme based or encourage broader aspects of social communication. Sample groups may include Book Club, Headline News, Tech Groups, Daily Conversations, and Virtual Tours. 

These groups accommodate individuals with a broad range of aphasia types and severity.  ATP lead supervisors facilitate group placement to ensure appropriateness for each member.  Members may sign up for one to four communication group sessions a week. Final group assignments are dependent on enrollment numbers, as some groups may close due to capacity. We try to keep the groups small (3-8 people) to allow for member connections and personalization.

ATP Exercise Groups: Our group is called LLAMA, or, Life-Long Activity and Movement for Aphasia. Led by faculty and students from the Kinesiology department, these sessions provide gentle movement and stretching exercises that can be done standing or sitting. We often use music to help us work out. The sessions meet from 10:00 - 10:50 a.m. on-line on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and in a hybrid model on Fridays.  Each participant must complete a release to participate.

ATP Aphasia Tones Choir: The award-winning Aphasia Tones Choir meets in a hybrid model on Wednesdays from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Join the choir as members do physical and vocal warm-ups, rehearse popular songs, and enjoy community building social exchanges with the choir directors and other choir members. We create aphasia-friendly visuals to help our members practice. No previous singing experience is required. Come to have fun!  To see the Aphasia Tones Choir performing their original song, go .  To read an interesting article about the Tones, go HERE.

The ATP Leadership Team includes:

• Sophia Kanenwisher, ATP Director
• Michelle Gravier, ATP Research Director
• Stephanie Williams, ATP Clinical Supervisor 

The Rees Clinic provides services both IN-PERSON and ON-LINE via TELEPRACTICE.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at clinic@csueastbay.edu 

TELEPRACTICE: Telepractice is the use of live-streaming to provide speech therapy, linking clinicians to clients who are an appropriate fit for this model. Telepractice is shown to be as effective as in-person consultation. Clinicians must follow the same Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, as well as state and federal laws. To participate, clients should have a device with camera and microphone, and reliable internet access. Clients who are under the age of 18 must have an adult present. Adult clients who would benefit from guided support should also have another adult present to help. If you have more questions about this model, please email us at clinic@csueastbay.edu. 

About Aphasia

Aphasia is a communication impairment that occurs most commonly after a stroke, but may also occur after a traumatic brain injury or brain tumor. It is estimated that approximately 2 million Americans and 400,000 United States troops returning from combat have aphasia. Individuals with aphasia typically have trouble with talking, understanding, reading and writing. However, aphasia does not affect a persons intelligence.

For further information, contact the clinic at (510) 885-3241 or clinic@csueastbay.edu