Let's Chat Working With High Schoolers

Hallie and Tricia Detig chat about high school speech therapy.

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with Tricia Detig — creator of Thoughtful Talk and a high school SLP working with resource and life skills students. Tricia shares her journey from middle school to high school, getting real about the differences. She talks about building rapport with older students, ditching lectures for hands-on activities, and making therapy meaningful through real-world experiences like running a coffee cart and back-to-back drawing challenges. Plus, she dives into push-in services, student buy-in, and why working with secondary students is a "hidden gem." If you're in the high school world or thinking about it, this one's packed with practical tips and real talk.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

• The vibe shift from middle to high school (and cracking that "too cool" shell) 
• Building rapport and getting buy-in with older students 
• Push-in vs. pull-out—how it's decided 
• Why hands-on beats lectures (coffee carts > worksheets) 
• Bringing job readiness into everyday therapy 
• Getting students involved in their own IEP meetings 
• Why secondary is a "hidden gem" worth exploring

Here’s what we learned: 

• High schoolers aren't hard—they just need you to meet them where they are. 
• Hands-on beats worksheets every time (especially for carryover). 
• Functional skills like coffee carts teach more than homework help ever will. 
• Progress looks different with older students—focus on life skills, not just data.
• Students in their IEP meetings changes everything (even if they just listen). 
• Secondary isn't scary—it's a hidden gem once you adjust. 
• Ask questions and lean on your team—secondary SLPs stay forever for a reason.

Learn more about Tricia Detig: 

Website: https://www.thoughtfultalk.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtful.talk/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoughtfultalk.llc 

Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thoughtful-talk-llc-formerly-detig-dialect 

Speech Therapy Goal Bank for Middle School [grades 6-8]

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets