FAQs
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Speech & language questions
What is speech and language therapy?
Communication skills are related to the way we listen and understand, the way we use speech and language to send a message and the way we make and maintain friendships with other children. Some children can find communication challenging and Mable speech and language therapists can help. We provide assessment and therapy to children with communication needs. We also offer expert advice to teaching staff to help them support students across all areas of the curriculum.
How do I know if a student needs speech therapy?
If you have concerns about a student's speech clarity, their ability to learn new words at the same rate as other children or their social interaction skills, then they may need support. If you're not sure simply get in touch. You can speak with a qualified speech and language therapist straight away and they'll be able to advise you,
Is Mable Therapy suitable for all students?
Mable therapists are able to provide intervention for a variety of presenting issues. For example, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Hearing Impairment (HI), social communication needs, communication difficulties associated with mental health, speech sound delay and disorder and literacy difficulties. If you're not sure, the best thing to do is call and speak to one of our therapists. Unfortunately, we're unable to deliver direct intervention with children who have a profound visual impairment or those with profound and multiple learning needs.
Is Mable Therapy suitable for older students?
Yes, within our network we have experienced therapists working with all age groups. Specialist skills are necessary to engage and support this age group which is why we only hire experienced therapists who have an excellent understanding of teenagers and the secondary curriculum.
What is the assessment process?
You’ll start by completing a brief referral form. This is so we can ensure the student is matched with the best therapist for their needs. In the consultation session, the therapist will take a case history to gather some background information and will then advise if the student needs an assessment or can go straight ahead with therapy. The assessment session is usually 45-50 minutes long and will assess the student across a variety of areas, based on what the concerns are. You’ll then receive a full report within seven days.
Does every student need to have an assessment?
Usually we recommend an assessment as the therapist needs to get a baseline of the student's needs. The assessment can also be useful as it provides strategies to support the student in class. In some cases, we don’t need a full assessment, for example if the student has one from within the last six months which the therapist feels contains enough information. There are also some instances where the only concern is a mild speech production difficulty, so a full assessment isn’t required. The therapist will advise you if an assessment is needed in the initial consultation session.
Are the assessments standardised?
Mable online assessments are Dynamic. Dynamic assessment (DA) is a method of conducting a language assessment which seeks to identify the skills that an individual child possesses as well as their learning potential. The DA procedure emphasises the learning process and accounts for the amount of support and structure of the therapist.
Can the reports be used for EHCP evidence?
Yes, the Mable Speech and Language screener investigates all areas of speech and language development. Specialist subsets can be administered for children and young people with specific needs and the results of these can be reported for use in EHCP assessment.
How many sessions will be needed?
Following an assessment, we will send you a draft provision map with an estimate of sessions required in order to meet initial targets. However, until we know more about your student’ difficulties; their learning style and their speed of progression it is difficult to say how many sessions they will require in order to reach their full potential. Good communication between parents, school and other practitioners as well as regular assessment will allow your therapist to give you a good idea of prognosis.
How will I contact the Mable therapist?
You can contact the therapist directly through the Mable platform. You’ll be kept up to date with information about all your students including activities for the student to do between sessions.
What qualifications and experience do the therapists have?
All our therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). We only hire therapists of NHS Band 6 and above, so they have all had several years of experience before starting to work with Mable.
Can a student change therapist?
If a student has a change in circumstances, such as a timetable clash, it's very simple to change therapist. Contact your school account manager or message us using the chat option and we can organise a new therapist.
Do students need to have an NHS assessment before starting Mable?
No, if you have concerns about the communication of one of your students you can start Mable straight away. You must gain parental consent before discussing specific details about a student with us but you're welcome to give us a call and talk to a therapist straight away about the needs in your school. We are also very happy to work alongside NHS practitioners as required.
How can we track our students' progress?
At Mable we believe the impact of assessment, intervention and training should have a measurable effect on a student’s wellbeing, their access to the curriculum and most importantly their functional communication. Mable’s detailed reporting function enables schools to track cost against actual student outcomes. Mable provides weekly data to not only demonstrate impact but to assist in measuring the direct impact of the intervention against student functioning in the classroom. Mable gathers student opinion through self-evaluation at the start and end of every speech and language intervention session and can support schools who want to develop case studies in order to illustrate how speech and language therapy support has an impact on engagement and behaviour.
Counselling questions
How do I refer a student for counselling?
It's really simple, you login to your Mable account and press 'add patient'. |You'll be asked a few simple questions and you'll need to email a consent form to the student's parents/carers. Once the consent is completed, you can book them in.
Does a member of staff need to be present for the sessions?
A member of 'supervising' staff will need to be available for the session. They'll help get the student logged in and once the session has connected they will leave them to access the session privately. They will need to be contactable for the duration of the session in case the counsellor needs to call them with a technical issues or if they feel an adult is needed in the room. It makes sense for this person to be someone non-class-based, so a member of SLT or the admin team.
What qualifications do the counsellors have?
All of our counsellors are fully qualified and registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) or Association of Children's Psychotherapists (ACP). They have up-to-date, enhanced DBS checks as well as regular safeguarding and GDPR training. We have a robust recruitment policy and recruit counsellors based on their qualifications, experience and personality. All of our counsellors have significant experience of working with children.
How long are the sessions and when do they take place?
Each online counselling session lasts 45 minutes. The appointments usually take place at the same time each week unless agreed otherwise with the counsellor. We recommend that when you book the first session, you choose a day and time that you’ll be able to stick to regularly.
Some schools arrange for the sessions to take place at home, if they feel the parents will be able to accommodate this. If you would like to arrange this, please let a member of the team know.
How do you safeguard students?
Safeguarding children and young people is the highest priority to us at Mable Therapy. We're trained in safer recruiting practices to ensure that all our counsellors are committed to the wellbeing of their clients, which includes being fully qualified, DBS checked (enhanced), insured and BACP or ACP registered. Our counsellors all report to a case manager within Mable Therapy and attend monthly supervision with a clinical supervisor. Should our counsellors have any concerns they will make immediate contact with the designated safeguarding lead in your school and follow your policy.
What if a student is reluctant to try counselling?
It can be tempting to try to persuade students to access counselling if we can see that it would be beneficial. However, counselling will only help if they are willing and engaged. It can help to tell the student that it's only one session to start with and then they can then decide whether they’d like to continue. You may also want to show them one of these videos which explains more about how Mable Therapy works:
This video is suitable for primary age students:
This video is usually suitable for secondary age students:
If a student has their first session and does not want to continue it’s important to respect their decision. It’s essential that they has a positive experience or counselling so they feel empowered to access it in the future. By giving them the power to decide, they know they are able to access it once they feel ready.
Do we need to inform the parents / carers that a student is having counselling?
Where possible, we encourage that you consult parents and carers if you are going to arrange counselling for a student. However, students are able to self-consent from the age of 13, as they are deemed mature enough to advocate for themselves. If you would like to discuss this further please contact a member of the counselling team.
Can you work with students referred to CAMHS?
Many students are on a CAMHS waiting list or are not able to access counselling as part of their referral, and we are very happy to support these students. We are not able to offer counselling simultaneously if a student is seeing another counsellor, but we can support them as they are waiting to access counselling from another service.
General questions
Are you able to provide the appropriate policies?
We understand you're probably required to provide paperwork for any service you allow to work with your students. We have GDPR policies, safeguarding policies, privacy policies, whatever it is that your school needs - we have it!
Do we need to get consent forms signed by parents / carers?
If students are 13 or over they are able to self-consent, although we always encourage that you let parents / carers know if possible. When you add a student's details to Mable we'll ask you for a parent / carer's email address. We'll then send them a consent form via email that they can return digitally. If you have parents or carers without email, we also have printable consent forms that can be signed and then scanned over to us.
How much do sessions cost?
We work on a credit system, and depending on the length / type of session the credit price will vary. For more information you can visit our pricing page.
What equipment do I need for a Mable session?
To get started with Mable you will need a desktop computer or laptop with a camera and a microphone. You will also need at least 5 Meg broadband connection. With credit packages over ÂŁ1,000 you will receive a Mable box which contains 2 professional headsets with a built in microphone and a 2 way splitter.
You can take the Mable tech test to check everything is working OK. Computers on school networks will need to unblock the Mable URLs, however the tech team at Mable can help with this.
How can I check if my equipment will work properly?
To get started with Mable you'll need a desktop computer or laptop with a camera and a microphone. You'll also need at least 5 Meg broadband connection. With credit packages over ÂŁ1,000 you will receive a Mable box which contains 2 professional headsets with a built in microphone and a 2 way splitter.
You can take the Mable tech test to check everything is working OK. Computers on school networks will need to unblock the Mable URLs, however the tech team at Mable can help with this.
Do the sessions take place on Zoom?
Mable sessions take place using our unique video platform. It’s a bit like a Zoom session, but better! Our software has in-built games, activities and resources to make the counselling an immersive, creative, child-centred experience.