I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint — and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” — Oprah Winfrey
Minette Stewart, M.A., CCC-SLP
Minette Stewart is an ASHA certified and WA state-licensed speech language pathologist (SLP) who has been practicing for over 20 years. Her specialty includes comprehensive evaluations and intervention for those with hard-to-diagnose language processing and literacy disorders. Highly-skilled and experienced, Minette is constantly pursing continuing education to expand her knowledge and bring the most up-to-date, research-driven therapy and assessment methods to her practice. She cares about her patients, is passionate about her work, and strives to empower her patients. Minette has earned the ASHA ACE Achievement Award twice.
Education
Education
California Polytechnic State University
B.A. Speech Communication, 2007
Western Washington University
M.A. Speech-Language Pathology, 2004
Experience
Experience
Minette has treated adults and children in a variety of settings including in-patient hospital, outpatient clinics, and private practice helping others with:
- voice
- stuttering
- speech
- receptive and expressive language disorders
- language-literacy development
- cognitive disorders
She also enjoys working with professionals who want to advance in their workplace, or enhance their personal relationships.
- coaching in communication skills
- accent-reduction
Minette earned the ACE Achiever Award 2017 and 2023.
Rico Suave Arango, Therapy Dog
Rico is our therapy dog. He has two years experience assisting in sessions and completed more than 25 hours of obedience training. Rico earned his Canine Good Citizen Certificate in 2023. When Rico isn’t at the office, he enjoys camping, running in the woods, and swimming in rivers.
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)
Motivating learning, reducing anxiety
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of treatment that includes animals as part of a person’s care plan. Rico is trained to help work with our patients. He helps lower patients’ anxiety, build communication skills, and improve their general mood. During a session, the therapist guides interactions that may include petting, brushing, giving commands, or reading to Rico. Other times, he may be relaxing and just helping provide a calming atmosphere.
For some clients—especially those with low motivation—having a live animal in a room is sometimes all they need. For other clients, Rico might reduce anxiety, thereby increasing access to speech and language skills and instruction.
Clients often perceive animals as nonjudgmental, making it easier for them to transition into the session and participate in exercises they might otherwise find difficult.
Our Previous Patients Are Our Best Referrals
We were referred to Minette from a friend of ours. Our son was having significant challenges learning to read. Working with Minette helped our son grow more confident in his reading abilities and now not only does he read books, but menus, cards, etc.! We would definitely recommend Minette. She has a very patient and positive way of connecting with kids which really helped our son. He would routinely say how much he liked Minette and looked forward to sessions. Her wonderful dog was a huge bonus! - Joshua C., parent
Minette really knows her stuff! She was able to assess our son's unique challenges and design a thoughtful plan to support his growth. Over the years, we've been continually impressed by her positive energy and expertise. This superpower has kept our son engaged-from his enthusiastic younger years through the sometimes less motivated teenage stage-and he truly enjoys his sessions! The progress we've seen in his language processing skills is clear proof of Minette's effectiveness. We've also appreciated her creativity and flexibility in adjusting her approach as our son's needs have evolved. Thanks to her care and dedication, he's gained skills that have made a real difference in his communication, learning, and confidence.
Minette has helped our son develop his ability to speak clearly and articulate sounds, as well as understand language.
Minette is one of the most skilled, knowledgeable specialists I have ever met. The activities, exercises, and games that she played with my daughter were always spot on, supporting her where she most needed help.
I would 100% recommend Minette's services to others. I could not support my child at home because we would fight and argue. Minette’s background, training, and knowledge wowed me. She was able to draw my kiddo in, even when the learning was challenging or frustrating. Minette was able to target specifically where my child needed support and always had ideas (many) and ways (many) to help. Minette’s activities were fun, fast paced, and multifaceted. I also appreciated the quick check ins at the end of each session where Minette went over how the hour was spent and what skills were worked on and often gave extensions for what we might work on at home.
FAQs
Do you accept insurance?
No, we are a private-pay clinic. Payment will be due at the time of service, or on a monthly plan for established patients. While we are considered out-of-network, we are happy to provide superbills that have all the codes necessary for you to seek reimbursement through your insurance. Out-of-network reimbursement is the client’s responsibility. In the event the insurance company requests additional documentation such as a Letter of Medical Necessity, therapy session notes, etc., we will work with you to provide the necessary documentation. However, this can be very time-consuming, and thus, any support for your out-of-network reimbursement that requires an excess of 15 minutes of your therapist’s time will be billed to you at the hourly rate in 15-minute increments. For more information, read the Out-Of-Network Guide.
We highly recommend submitting your Superbills monthly to ensure any denials or additional documentation requests can be handled in a timely manner. Contact us if you need a copy of your paid invoice (Superbill).
How long will therapy take?
While most want to know how long therapy will take, there isn’t a solid answer. The duration and intensity of intervention is based on many factors including, but not limited to, baseline skills, individual goals, learning habits, attendance, and participation.
How do I get started?
Email or call us to set up an initial consultation. That allows us to learn about your background, and understand your needs, to better guide you on next steps.
Do you see adults?
Yes! We provide evaluations and intervention for adults seeking help with language, speech, voice, or cognitive skills. We also provide accent modification, and communication coaching for those without a diagnosis, but are seeking to improve their communication skills.
What is communication coaching?
Communication coaching is 1:1 consulting to help individuals improve in their speech clarity, projection, and confidence; communicate more clearly and effectively; and learn more about their personal communication patterns.