Collaboration in Speech–Language Therapy

Collaboration involves a purposeful agreement in which the participants of the agreement willingly cooperate to achieve a shared goal. This definition emphasizes the key components of a collaborative partnership as including (1) a group of individuals and (2) a shared objective. According to the World Health Organization, collaborative practice occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with patients, their families, caregivers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings.

Collaborations have the potential to improve the quality of services, but for collaboration to be successful, team members must have clearly defined roles, fulfill their own individual tasks, trust others to do their part, and communicate effectively and openly. This entry discusses settings in which Speech–Language pathologists ...