This is weird. It’s December, and the end of my penultimate term at City. Throughout the rest of the four years, we’ve definitely felt like this is the home run and been told that this term allows for lots of time to really get our teeth into our research projects, before we take a break for placement next term. And yes, there has been plenty of time. I tend to fill time with other stuff, though – I sometimes find it hard to find the balance.

Here is what’s been going on this term:

Some challenges:

• Getting started with our research project- getting ethical approval from the university to start gathering data and starting looking at previously published literature about selective mutism and blogging. It has been pretty challenging to motivate myself – it’s mostly self-study this term- but I’m sort-of getting there.
• My wonderful mental health mentor, Lydia, moved onto pastures new (more about the support I get in a previous blog, all about my brain). I’ve had to adjust to working with someone new (she is also great), but I can sometimes find change and transition very challenging.
• Mouse has been eating slugs, or something. Cats should not eat slugs. (See picture. At least her toy mouse finally has some use)

Some things that have been wonderful:

• I got to be in a play a few weeks ago. I moved into SLT from an acting career, and I hadn’t necessarily realised that I missed it that much. I’ve been asked to audition for a web series of the back off this, so that’s kind-of nice. (DO NOT WORRY, I will not be going back to acting full-time. I’m determined to be at SLT).
• An AMAZING birthday full of treats (including a cat café, HELLO) and mini-break in Prague with my number one partner-in-crime, eating all the food and doing all the relaxing. I was feeling a little old this year, so I was very lucky to have someone plan such exciting things. Sometimes I forget how nice/important it is to leave London every once in a while.
• Opportunities to think about employment (tentatively) after the course finishes, and getting lots of support from the department about applying for jobs and how to access support as a newly qualified therapist.

Some things coming up:

• Our longest placement yet. I’ll be in a mixed adult inpatient setting- acute, surgery, trauma, neuro conditions (e.g. Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson’s) ….I’m excited, and also aware that that my last adult hospital placement was very emotionally challenging. This time, with a little awareness, I’ll be asking for support from my practice educators at the very beginning.
• Our first exam of the year in January- all about clinical management of a case study that will be released a week before the exam date. I definitely feel out of revision practise, so part of our Christmas holidays will be getting my head around this.
• I’m off skiing in January. Hoping I can continue to avoid injury.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!

If you would like to learn more about studying Speech and Language Therapy at City, you can visit the course page here.