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These are some of our frequently asked questions
What is Better Conversations?
Better Conversations (or BC) is a therapy approach that aims to help adults and children with communication difficulties or needs to have more enjoyable and successful interactions in their everyday lives. It involves working in collaboration with a person with a communication difficulty or need and their regular communication partner (a family member or friend) to develop the best strategies for their conversations. BC aims to maximise the use of conversation facilitators (strategies that help the conversation flow), and minimise the impact of conversation barriers (things that hinder conversation). The therapy starts by looking at a video recording of everyday conversation with a speech and language therapist to identify conversation facilitators and barriers. Using this insight, people are supported to choose some preferred strategies to work on, as their therapy goals. They then practise using their chosen strategies in conversations, coached by the speech and language therapist.
Who is Better Conversations for?
Better Conversations (BC) is for adults and children with communication difficulties and needs and their family members and friends. See the Resources page for a current list of the BC therapy packages that exist or are under development.
Who can deliver Better Conversations?
At present Better Conversations is designed to be delivered by speech and language therapists or by speech and language therapy assistants and student speech and language therapists, with supervision. However, there are resources on this website about understanding and supporting conversation that will be of interest to other health and social care professionals, and people living with communication difficulties and their families/friends.
How can I train to deliver Better Conversations?
If you are a speech and language therapist and are interested in learning how to deliver Better Conversations (BC), please check our BC events page to register for our regular training sessions. You can also get support for delivering BC from our Resources and Downloads pages.
Where is Better Conversations available?
Better Conversations (BC) is offered by speech and language therapists in some National Health Service (NHS) trusts in the UK. If you are interested in receiving this therapy, you should contact your local speech and language therapy service who will be able to advise you further.
If you are outside the UK, please visit the BC by country page and contact the BC representative from your country. If your country is not listed, it may be that BC is not currently available. However, BC is expanding and you should check back regularly. If you are interested in adapting or translating BC resources for your country and context, email the team.