INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW SPEECHIE
1 March 2017 marks a milestone for Summer's Therapy Services. We have a new Speech Therapist joined us. *Yeah! More children can be served!*
Let's have a chat with Magdeline to find out more...
HT: Hi Mag, welcome onboard Summer’s Therapy Services!
Mag: Thank you! I am really happy to be part of Summer’s Therapy Services and am looking forward to contribute towards providing quality therapy and support to the children and their families that we will work with.
HT: So, tell us a little about yourself.
Mag: I have been a Speech Therapist since 2015. Prior to joining Summer’s, I worked as a Speech Therapist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Department of Child Development, working with children with developmental delays which had impacted their speech and language.
I was formally working in the Real Estate industry after graduating from NUS, but have always had a desire to work with children. Other than my Masters degree in Speech Pathology which I obtained in Australia, I also have a degree in Early Childhood and Family Education, and an Advance Diploma in Children with Special Needs. After considering for awhile, I decided to take the plunge to do a career switch and have not looked back since.
Whilst living in Australia, I discovered that I quite enjoy taking pictures of flowers, food, and architecture. My friends have commented that they enjoyed looking at the photos that I have shared with them and that had spurred me on to continue to use photography as a means to share my thoughts, and I also find that it is a form of relaxation. I am also a vivid traveller and I often take a few trips in a year. I like visiting places where I have friends living there, so that I can get to see, explore and experience where the locals hang out and do. Another thing that I enjoy, which is probably like a national hobby in Singapore, is food. I have a sweet tooth and according to my friends, I often say, “there is always room for desserts”.
HT: Haha... and I always say 'Dessert stomach is a different stomach'. So why did you decide to join Summer’s, which is a fairly new start-up?
Mag: There are a number of reasons why I had decided to join Summer’s. At my first meeting with you, Summer's director, I was drawn to your level-headedness, focus, and a great sense of moral values and integrity, which I personally view as important in any individual and in a company’s culture.
Like you, I too believe in the benefits of home-based therapy, as children can learn and be supported in a more natural, less intimidating setting. They are also more likely to be able to transfer that learning more immediately as they get more opportunities to practice therapy goals. Home-based therapy also allows us to work closely with caregivers, whom I believe are the children’s best therapist. I like the idea empowering caregivers by sharing my knowledge with them so that they can support their children’s needs and learning, throughout the day.
Summer’s is a fairly new start-up company like you said, and I hope to be able to grow with Summer’s as a therapist, as well as to contribute towards the growth of the company, with transferable skillsets that I bring with me from my previous work experiences.
HT: Awesome! Summer's is indeed very blessed to have someone who shares similar values... It has been a month since you started with Summer’s, tell us about your experience so far.
Mag: I am slowly getting a sense of what it is like to work as a home-based therapist, zipping from one client to another. Other than having to carry the necessary resources for each child for the day, the other thing that I often worry about is being able to find transport to the next client, and be on time for sessions. Thank goodness Singapore's transport system is well-networked and efficient.
The other thing that I needed to get used to is working on Saturdays. I used to think that I will be missing out on catching up with family and friends, as most people don’t need to work on weekends. However, I am starting to enjoy having a mid week off day when I get to do things at a more leisurely pace, and am able to run errands without having to rush with crowds.
I have also found this job to be very humbling, as caregivers welcome us so warmly into their homes to work with their children, and are so willing to listen to our recommendations.
HT: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for Summer’s?
Mag: You, as Summer's Director, is very clear about your vision for the company, that is to be able to share our knowledge and skills to as many as we can, so that more children can receive support. I hope that the company can in time, recruit like-minded therapists, with aligned values and vision, to eventually be able to provide services to groups of children whom may not be able to access services, perhaps due to financial difficulties.
For now, I hope that both of us can serve our clients to our best abilities, and will always have the right heart attitude, to keep learning, keep upgrading, keep strong, so that we will be able to give our best to the children whom we serve.
HT: Welcome to Summer's once again.
Let's have a chat with Magdeline to find out more...
HT: Hi Mag, welcome onboard Summer’s Therapy Services!
Mag: Thank you! I am really happy to be part of Summer’s Therapy Services and am looking forward to contribute towards providing quality therapy and support to the children and their families that we will work with.
HT: So, tell us a little about yourself.
Mag: I have been a Speech Therapist since 2015. Prior to joining Summer’s, I worked as a Speech Therapist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Department of Child Development, working with children with developmental delays which had impacted their speech and language.
I was formally working in the Real Estate industry after graduating from NUS, but have always had a desire to work with children. Other than my Masters degree in Speech Pathology which I obtained in Australia, I also have a degree in Early Childhood and Family Education, and an Advance Diploma in Children with Special Needs. After considering for awhile, I decided to take the plunge to do a career switch and have not looked back since.
Whilst living in Australia, I discovered that I quite enjoy taking pictures of flowers, food, and architecture. My friends have commented that they enjoyed looking at the photos that I have shared with them and that had spurred me on to continue to use photography as a means to share my thoughts, and I also find that it is a form of relaxation. I am also a vivid traveller and I often take a few trips in a year. I like visiting places where I have friends living there, so that I can get to see, explore and experience where the locals hang out and do. Another thing that I enjoy, which is probably like a national hobby in Singapore, is food. I have a sweet tooth and according to my friends, I often say, “there is always room for desserts”.
HT: Haha... and I always say 'Dessert stomach is a different stomach'. So why did you decide to join Summer’s, which is a fairly new start-up?
Mag: There are a number of reasons why I had decided to join Summer’s. At my first meeting with you, Summer's director, I was drawn to your level-headedness, focus, and a great sense of moral values and integrity, which I personally view as important in any individual and in a company’s culture.
Like you, I too believe in the benefits of home-based therapy, as children can learn and be supported in a more natural, less intimidating setting. They are also more likely to be able to transfer that learning more immediately as they get more opportunities to practice therapy goals. Home-based therapy also allows us to work closely with caregivers, whom I believe are the children’s best therapist. I like the idea empowering caregivers by sharing my knowledge with them so that they can support their children’s needs and learning, throughout the day.
Summer’s is a fairly new start-up company like you said, and I hope to be able to grow with Summer’s as a therapist, as well as to contribute towards the growth of the company, with transferable skillsets that I bring with me from my previous work experiences.
HT: Awesome! Summer's is indeed very blessed to have someone who shares similar values... It has been a month since you started with Summer’s, tell us about your experience so far.
Mag: I am slowly getting a sense of what it is like to work as a home-based therapist, zipping from one client to another. Other than having to carry the necessary resources for each child for the day, the other thing that I often worry about is being able to find transport to the next client, and be on time for sessions. Thank goodness Singapore's transport system is well-networked and efficient.
The other thing that I needed to get used to is working on Saturdays. I used to think that I will be missing out on catching up with family and friends, as most people don’t need to work on weekends. However, I am starting to enjoy having a mid week off day when I get to do things at a more leisurely pace, and am able to run errands without having to rush with crowds.
I have also found this job to be very humbling, as caregivers welcome us so warmly into their homes to work with their children, and are so willing to listen to our recommendations.
HT: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for Summer’s?
Mag: You, as Summer's Director, is very clear about your vision for the company, that is to be able to share our knowledge and skills to as many as we can, so that more children can receive support. I hope that the company can in time, recruit like-minded therapists, with aligned values and vision, to eventually be able to provide services to groups of children whom may not be able to access services, perhaps due to financial difficulties.
For now, I hope that both of us can serve our clients to our best abilities, and will always have the right heart attitude, to keep learning, keep upgrading, keep strong, so that we will be able to give our best to the children whom we serve.
HT: Welcome to Summer's once again.
Some photos taken by Mag. Beautiful!
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