Frequently Asked Questions

No. We do not require a doctor’s referral* in order to see you or your family member. However, if someone else besides you has initiated your or your family member’s referral, please let us know and provide relevant documents such as previous speech-language pathology reports, referral letters or relevant reports from other health professionals, or written comments from teachers.

*Please note that, although we do not require a referral from your doctor, extended health benefit plans sometimes require this in order to accept your claim. We strongly encourage you to check with your own extended health benefit plan to learn what specific requirements and limitations might be in place.

Payment is required at the time of booking. During COVID-19, e-transfers are our preferred method of payment (cheques are also accepted); we are unable to accept cash or debit. Please email us for information about fees.

No, we do not. Each plan negotiates different benefits with each employer, and we are simply not in a position to know what your particular benefits and/or restrictions might be. Instead, we will provide you with a detailed receipt that you can submit to your extended health benefit plan. As mentioned before, we strongly encourage you to check with your own extended health benefit plan to learn what the requirements and limitations are – and we advise you to do it before your first appointment to avoid surprises!

All of our speech-language pathologists are registered with our College, so if your plan covers speech-language pathology services, we meet the requirements in terms of the appropriate registration/licensing.

No. Our code of ethics prevents us from doing so, and for very good reason, as there are so many variables affecting treatment outcome! You have our assurance, however, that the same code of ethics prevents us from providing treatment if we don’t believe you or your family member has a reasonable chance of benefiting from the treatment.

Maybe. Some speech-language pathology services are covered under/funded by various public sources such as health units (young children), the school system (school-aged children),  or outpatient clinics at hospitals. In general, SLP services in the public system are much less available for adults than they are for children.

For more details, please see the Children’s Treatment FAQ section, the Adult Treatment FAQ section, or the Adult Intensive Stuttering Clinic treatment page.

Our clinic director has compiled a document of potential funding sources that we would be happy to send to you to help you in your search. Please email us.

It depends. We will assess your needs and your potential to benefit from treatment before providing you with any estimation regarding duration of treatment.

No.  Speech sounds are a very important part of Canadian English pronunciation but only one part.  In addition to working on sounds, we will work on intonation, muscle use, resonance, rate of speech, word juncture and more. (If any of these terms are unfamiliar to you, don’t worry – we will explain them at length during the program.)

*Please note that, although we do not require a referral from your doctor, extended health benefit plans sometimes require this in order to accept your claim. We strongly encourage you to check with your own extended health benefit plan to learn what specific requirements and limitations might be in place.

SLPs are clinical professionals trained to the master’s degree level and beyond in all aspects of speech production and techniques to improve speech. SLPs have detailed knowledge about how the mechanics of speech, such as your tongue and lip movements and voice, can affect your accent.  Even more importantly, we have practical training and experience in how to guide people in the complicated process of changing the way you speak and making these changes become a habit.  SLPs routinely help people with serious speech problems, such as stuttering or voice disorders, that are much more complicated than accent reduction therapy.  We use accent reduction exercises and accent modification techniques that are based on our skills, training and experience with speech therapy.  A final advantage of seeing an SLP for your accent reduction therapy is that the SLP can also give you guidance with other aspects of your speech, such as voice difficulties, so that you can get voice and accent training in one place.

There are two main reasons why we charge a professional rate.  First, your accent reduction program will be delivered by a speech pathologist with a master’s degree (and years of further training and experience in delivering accent modification services) who is a member of a regulated profession.  You should not confuse this service with that provided by an accent reduction tutor, teacher or accent coach who does not need to meet the same qualifications or have the same training.

Second, your training will be provided on a very individualized basis – either one-on-one, or in a very small group.  Every client, whether seen privately or in a small group, has an individual assessment and analysis of their speech prior to the first session;  the program is always customized to your own needs.  This is not simply an accent reduction “class” with numerous students taught by one instructor.  This is a customized, individualized service delivered by highly trained professionals who use different accent reduction exercises for different clients based on their needs.  In our 27 years of experience, we have discovered that it is critical for each client’s program to be tailor-made for them based on their own speech analysis

No.  Participants can improve pronunciation and learn to speak English with more confidence, but “accent elimination” or “accent neutralization” is not a realistic goal for most people.  You will learn how to improve your English pronunciation and how to speak English with a Canadian accent to a better degree than before you entered the program, but you should not expect that you will lose your accent completely.  We advise you to set the goal of “pronunciation improvement.” It is also worth noting that our code of ethics prohibits us from providing any guarantee of outcome, but the single biggest factor in determining the outcome of the program is the effort that you put in to “train your accent”.

Yes.  The homework is not difficult, but it is important that it is done regularly and with focused attention.  Your home program and your own accent reduction tips will be customized to your needs based on your own speech analysis.  It is entirely up to you how much time you spend on it, but, quite simply, the more you put into your home practice, the more you will get out of your Vancouver accent modification program.

All clients registered in any of our prepaid accent reduction courses receive a complete set of complimentary practice materials including both practice handouts and audio recordings.  (These materials are reserved for clients who enroll in a course and are not available for people who receive instruction on a session by session basis.)

No, not necessarily.  People tend to meet their goals more easily by taking a program with a group component, such as our small group program or our intensive accent reduction program. In a group program, you practice your new speaking skills with other participants, not just with your instructor.  In one-on-one programs, you must work harder to “transfer” your new speaking skills to situations outside of the instruction room.

There are several situations in which individual accent reduction training is better.  For instance, you may have a work schedule that takes you out of town periodically or requires evening meetings on short notice.  If so, you may miss too many group sessions to benefit from a group program;  in this case, we would recommend that you take the program on an individual basis.  Or, if your comprehension of English is not sufficient to keep up with the pace of the group program, we would recommend that you have one-on-one sessions.  Or, it may be that you need to complete the program by a certain deadline that conflicts with our group schedule, in which case we will design a schedule that meets your individual needs.

Probably not, but this is a good thing! Our Vancouver accent modification groups include people from a wide variety of language backgrounds. Participants get to compare their original languages and enjoy interesting discussions about the challenges of pronouncing the sounds of Canadian English. This is often very helpful as it is usually easier to learn how “not to pronounce a sound” by listening to the mispronunciation of someone from a different language background and then applying that critical listening skill to your own speech.  Each person works towards goals set with instructors after the initial, customized,  speech assessment.

If you are taking an individual program, it doesn’t matter if you are away for a week or two as we will simply schedule around your availability.  If you are taking a group or combined program, you should give us as much notice as possible so that we can plan the group session for the week you are gone to be targeted around accent reduction tips that are less relevant for you.  We will also ask other group members if they might be willing to reschedule the session you need to miss.  If you will be gone for more than one or two weeks in a group program, we recommend that you wait until you expect to be more available.  Although timing of appointments is more flexible in an individual program, if you plan to be gone for an extended period of time or for multiple trips, we recommend that you delay your enrollment to a time that you are more available.

You really won’t get the best benefit from the program unless you can commit to being there the entire time. Your absence may also be distracting to other group members. You may be able to make up a minimal amount of lost time for a medical appointment, beyond that you should attend the entirety of the program.

Generally speaking, it is not the case that people only need a “bit” of treatment if they only stutter a “bit.” In fact, we find that people who stutter more severely often respond more quickly to treatment than people with milder stuttering.

Chances are, your childhood treatment was not intensive and was not delivered in a group. Or maybe it was, and you – as a child – attended only because adults wanted you to. You are now at a different point in your life, and can choose to commit to treatment in a way that you probably didn’t when you were younger.

No! You can never be too old to benefit from stuttering treatment.

No. Not only would such a guarantee contravene our code of ethics, it also wouldn’t be consistent with our experience. We find that, while most adults who stutter benefit significantly from the clinic, almost all require follow-up and a maintenance program in order to maintain their gains. While we would love to tell you that our clients simply stop stuttering after our clinic, this is not typically the case. Rather, we counsel people to view treatment as a means to learn techniques to help them control their fluency when they wish to do so. Long-term benefit requires long-term hard work from our clients and regular follow-up from us. Rest assured, however, that we do collect outcome data on our clients for a full two years; we are happy with the long-term outcome for most of our clients.

Aphasia is a communication impairment resulting from damage to the language areas of the brain, such as may occur from a stroke or brain injury.  It can result in mildly to profoundly reduced abilities in any or all of the language modalities of listening, speaking, reading or writing.  Because communication is so central to every aspect of human life, aphasia can interfere with family roles, employment, hobbies and social life;  often, aphasia leads to social isolation and depression.

Our intensive aphasia treatment program is best suited to people who have “chronic” aphasia (that is, aphasia of more than one year duration).  However, we will certainly not turn someone away who is less than a year post-stroke, if we otherwise feel they will benefit from our approach.  In order to be eligible, you must have been diagnosed with aphasia by an SLP, neurologist or physiatrist (a rehabilitation medicine doctor);  you must be medically stable and have sufficient stamina and attention to take part in an intensive treatment program of this nature.  Participants must be independent for toileting, eating and transfers, or bring someone with them who is capable of assisting with these needs.  The program is designed for native speakers of English (or those who had fluent command of English prior to developing aphasia) who also have sufficient vision and hearing to participate in a non-adapted program.  To discuss whether or not this program is suitable for your needs, please contact itawc@columbiaspeech.com or call us at 604-875-9100.

The specific type of intensive aphasia therapy provided will be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on your needs and goals.  The program is comprehensive, in that multiple treatment approaches are available.  In general, treatments will focus on speaking, auditory comprehension, reading and writing, conversational skills, functional communication, social participation and use of technology as appropriate.  All treatments used are evidence-based. Sessions take place in the morning over a three hour period with short breaks. The ratio of speech pathologists to clients is 1:1. At times, we may have a graduate student intern providing extra assistance.

No guarantee of outcome is provided.   However, you can rest assured that the treatment you will receive will be based both on extensive clinical experience and on current research, including the latest knowledge in the field regarding evidence-based practice.  The team developing our intensive aphasia therapy program includes veteran SLPs Wendy Duke and Alisa Ferdinandi, who together have almost 50 years of experience working with clients with aphasia and who have trained numerous student SLPs over the years.

You need to bring a family member or communication partner with you but they do not need to be with you throughout the entire four week of the intensive aphasia therapy program.  They need to be there for at least the first day and the last day.  Additional family involvement is encouraged.  We recommend against having family members involved full-time, however, as we wish to foster independence for our clients.

The programs will take place at the wheelchair-accessible offices of Columbia Speech and Language Services, Inc. in Vancouver at 1755 West Broadway in Suite #507

You are responsible for finding your own accommodation, food, etc. and many past participants have also successfully found accommodation (some even within walking distance of our office!) via companies such as AirBnb or VRBO. Our office is very close to major transit stops should that be an option for you.

Please see our main iTAWC page for information about our current program schedule and costs.

Yes! Firstly, we usually run approximately three programs per year, so you can keep an eye on our website or email us if you’d like us to keep you in the loop on future programs. Also, it’s possible that we can accommodate individuals for an intensive program at other times of year with sufficient notice. This would be the same structure and hours as iTAWC, but you would be the only participant. If this is of interest to you, please send us an email to enquire.

1. Please email us or give us a call at 604-875-9100 to enquire about the suitability of our program for you or your family member/friend.
2. We will give you an application package, which you can fill out and return to us. This may take some time to complete, as it has several components (lots of information about the applicant, reports from previous SLPs, payment, confirmation of the aphasia diagnosis, etc.). Two cheques – not post-dated – need to be included in the application; one is a non-refundable application fee (this may be waived at our discretion for returning or current clients), and the other is a cheque for the full amount of the program (see our main iTAWC page for details about costs). For participants applying from outside of Canada, we will provide you with the necessary information for wire transfers.
3. The cheque for the application fee will be deposited upon receipt of the application, and we will review your application. Once we have reviewed it, we will be in touch with you about your acceptance, and the second cheque will be deposited.. In the event that we do not accept the application, the second cheque will be shredded or returned to you.

Upon confirmation of each client registration, we immediately begin work to ensure the best possible experience for that client;  we also must commit to paying certain fixed costs, such as staffing and space allocation, for the program’s entire duration.  For these reasons, full refunds are not possible, regardless of reason, at any point after registration.  Under certain circumstances, we will consider written requests for partial refunds on the following schedule.

65 days before the start date – $2500 CAD ($2175 USD) refund

After 65 days before the start date: no partial refunds will be provided unless we are able to move a client from our waiting list into your spot;  in this case a $2000 CAD ($1200 USD) refund will be provided.

Note that the application fee of $395 CAD ($300 USD) is not refundable under any circumstances.

There are no consistent funding sources currently available.  We recommend that you contact your local Health Authority’s Acquired Brain Injury Services to see if they would assist you with the funding and that you explore your extended health benefits if you have these, or any other sources of funding that might be specific to you, such as through the Department of Veterans Affairs, ICBC, WorkSafe or Crime Victims Assistance Program if relevant.  If you are an SLP referring a client, we recommend that you do not let financial considerations stop you from informing a client of this program;  in our experience, clients can be very resourceful about fundraising (for example, through GoFundMe campaigns) for their own treatment.

We are now accepting applications for our summer 2023 program. If you are interested in future programs, please enquire. For more information or to request an application package, please email us or call us at 604-875-9100.

No.  An individual’s ability to participate is determined by their stamina, medical stability and willingness to work in an environment where many of their fellow participants will be middle-aged. An older person with energy and stamina is more than welcome in our program.  For younger people such as teens, we suggest only that they consider carefully if they would be comfortable in an environment in which they will likely be the youngest client present.

Yes.  In fact, if you or your family member have mild aphasia, you may be interested to know that the clinicians at iTAWC have had extensive experience assisting people with stroke or traumatic brain injury in returning to work and/or school.

Yes and yes.