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The clinic in the Department of Language and Cognition is for adults who have acquired communication difficulties, usually as a result of a stroke or brain injury, and who want continuing speech and language therapy. The clinic is open on Mondays and Thursdays in the purpose-built ground floor clinic suite in Chandler House, and is staffed by two specialist speech and language therapists. The clinic provides student placements at various times during the year. Whilst on placement, students often work in pairs and engage in client contact under the close supervision of a clinician.
The aims of the clinic are:
- To offer a range of long-term treatment options to meet the needs of people with brain injury and their carers. Our goal is to assist clients to maximise their communicative abilities and participate as fully as possible in society.
- To train speech and language therapy students through observation and clinical practice.
- To support and carry out research to increase our understanding of communication breakdown and recovery.
Therapy is provided on a one-to-one basis or in a group. Sessions typically take place face-to-face, at the clinic. During 2020-21 we have been holding sessions remotely (online), without the need to travel.
Our Philosophy encompasses:
- Joint client-therapist-family exploration of the client's difficulties and possible solutions.
- Offering a range of long-term treatment options at all levels of the WHO model of impairment, activity, participation and well-being.
- No external time constraints on the period of intervention, allowing the time needed by people to adjust to their changed circumstances and build a new self-image.
- Accessing the range of academic and clinical specialisms within the Department of Language and Cognition on behalf of the client.
- Maintaining a partnership approach with NHS, independent and third-sector colleagues regarding the clients they refer to us.
- Research in the clinic
A variety of research teams at UCL carry out studies of acquired communication difficulties, their impact and rehabilitation. People with communication difficulties can volunteer to take part in these studies, often involving innovative therapies in the clinic.
Volunteers can be added to our research register at any time, whether they receive other services from us or not.
Research teams will contact volunteers with further details of projects that are relevant to them.Our Research Update newsletters can be downloaded by following these links:
An information pack about the research register can be downloaded here:
If you'd like to take part, please send us your contact details using the following form or get in touch with the clinic by phone, letter or email:
You can view the full Privacy Notice for participants in health and care research by following this link: Full Privacy Notice.
You can view a Privacy Notice that has been adapted for people with communication difficulties here:
Current research projects looking for volunteers include:
Improving sentence ability in aphasia (UTILISE project):
UTILISE is a therapy project, working on understanding and producing sentences. We are looking for volunteers to try a new computer therapy. There are different therapy options. You can come into UCL and have one-to-one therapy for 3 days/week for 4 weeks. Alternatively, you can work at home with a new therapy app. For both research projects, you will visit UCL before and after the therapy to measure any changes in your understanding and producing sentences. If it is safe for you, you may also have an MRI brain scan before and after therapy. For more information, visit our website, or contact: f.rodgers@ucl.ac.uk
- Aphasia New Music Group
This an opportunity to create and perform music with other people. It might be songs, instrumentals or sound art - the only rule is that it must be new! The project will explore how people with aphasia and their family / friends can work toegther with professional musicians to produce work for public performance. We will examine the impact of the project on communication skills, wellbeing and awareness of aphasia, in participants with and without aphasia. We are looking for people to take part. The project will start in January 2023 and there will be weekly workshops. If you are interested or have questions please email: music@oedipa.org
Here are our flyer and some more detailed information:
- Making a referral
- **Please note that we are not currently accepting new referrals for speech and language therapy sessions, during a review of our services (from March 2023)**
People who are interested in joining our research volunteer register can be added at any time. Please see the section of this webpage above.
Privacy notices:
- News
Read all about the clinic's activities on on twitter: @ClinicUCL
- Contact information
You can contact the clinic by:
- Telephone: 020 7679 4239 (answerphone)
- Email: communicationclinic@ucl.ac.uk
- Post: UCL Communication Clinic, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 1PF
Our nearest tube stations are Russell Square and King's Cross:
