The SLP Now Podcast
The SLP Now Podcast
SLP Now
Big Groups, Mixed Goals, and ‘Winging It’: How to Run Effective Therapy When Time Is Tight
16 minutes Posted Mar 24, 2026 at 10:00 am.
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Show notes

Show Notes: slpnow.com/254

The vast majority of school-based SLPs don’t have perfectly matched groups, and that doesn’t mean therapy has to be less effective. With the right structure and planning strategy, mixed groups can actually become a powerful way to target multiple goals, support peer learning, and simplify your workload. In this episode, we walk through a practical framework for running structured, efficient therapy sessions, even when your groups include different grade levels and goals.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  1. How to segment your caseload so you can plan therapy more efficiently
  2. Why language-rich thematic units help you target multiple goals at once
  3. A simple way to let students build on each other’s responses in mixed groups
  4. How the "Check in → Assess → Teach → Practice → Wrap up" structure reduces cognitive load
  5. Three small strategies you can implement immediately to make sessions easier

If you'd like help setting this up for your own caseload, you can explore the tools and units inside a free trial at slpnow.com/pod.