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Published March 19, 2019

When most people think of speech therapy, they envision a practitioner sitting across from a client doing oral exercises and speech drills to help improve articulation. That perception is the challenge faced by Tracy Sippl of Seymour, owner of S& L Teletherapy Consulting LLC.

Sippl defines teletherapy as a process that uses technology to provide speech and language services over a distance. It links a therapist to a client for assessment, intervention, and consultation.

"One of the challenges is removing the misconception that teletherapy is a shortcut, second-best, of-last-resort therapy," Sippl said. "Research has shown that what can take 60 minutes of on-site therapy can be accomplished in 30 to 40 minutes of teletherapy. It can cut therapy time in half."

The fact that it is done via computer is not an issue for most students, who she says are tech-savvy and very comfortable with this use of technology. With about 30 years of experience as a speech/language pathologist, Sippl spent most of her career working in schools and understands the challenges.

At one time, she had 55 students in three schools that she worked with and wished that teletherapy would have been an option. This form of therapy intrigued her, and after making a career change, she spent several years working with various teletherapy companies.

"Telepractice came about because I was noticing that the amount of therapy time during the school day was diminishing. I saw the advantage of technology early on and was one of the first to bring the iPad into therapy. The first time I heard about it, I thought, ‘How are you going to get a student to sit in front of a computer?’ But then I saw all the ways I could make it interactive," she said.

Not only is it effective, but it also provides a solution to a real issue for many school districts and companies.

"The demand for SLPs continues to grow but the number of those graduating in the field is not keeping up," Sippl said. "School districts may not be aware that teletherapy is an option to fill their SLP vacancies."

Unlike other teletherapy companies, Sippl wants to be more directly involved in placing therapists and also wants to eliminate the middleman. She is working with Green Bay SCORE mentor Dick Hopfensperger to help refine her business model and create a working business plan.

Sippl has been certified through the American Telemedicine Association and has served as a panelist and speaker at national and international events. She offers educational courses, and sessions on the use of various platforms and help develop telepractice materials. She will work with companies and educational institutions to help them create a program or division.

But while these generate some income, a major issue is developing a model that will create a greater cash flow. In assisting teletherapists by connecting them with clients, she is helping both the institution and the therapist but has not figured out how to be compensated.

"I would be a connector, not a recruiter," she said. "If a school district or company is interested in teletherapy, I would connect them with a therapist and then step back and be the consultant on an as-needed basis."

Somewhere in that process, Sippl will need to have fees for her services. Her focus so far has been on her passion for helping those needing therapy. As a niche, she says her business is unique by offering personal attention, setting up the programs, and managing them. Other teletherapy companies typically gain a contract and provide SLPs, but do not take a one-on-one approach to stay involved.

"I offer me, my expertise, my knowledge, my work ethic, and the personal touch," Sippl said.

She also has reviewed a variety of platforms and has found a digital therapy system that has been very effective in combining a student’s visual therapy time with the ability to listen to a student's practice at home and provide positive feedback.

The foundation has been laid, but Sippl continues to research and plan. She sees the SLP shortage as an issue that can be solved, at least in part, by teletherapy and needs to convince administrators and business owners that the option is effective while also figuring out how to make money doing it.

"When created, set up, and supported correctly, teletherapy fills vacancies with little or no extra work for administrators," she said. "I’m working with SCORE to help me create a formal business plan, and figure out how to sell my business services. Now I just need to get my foot in the door."

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.