Mission

Fix SLP is a grassroots advocacy firm dedicated to empowering speech-language pathologists and transforming the field of speech-language pathology by challenging outdated, restrictive practices. Our mission is to remove unnecessary barriers like the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) requirement, advocate for equitable access to care, and improve working conditions for clinicians nationwide. Through community-driven action, education, collaboration, and advocacy, Fix SLP inspires systemic change at the state level, fostering a future where SLPs have greater autonomy, patients receive enhanced care, and the profession thrives on inclusivity, innovation, and integrity. Together, we fix the future of speech-language pathology.

We don't wait for change. We make it. We are currently focusing on these issues:

• The redundancy of the CCC, the coercive tactics used to tie the CCC to ASHA membership, and the distorted pricing of the CCC and membership products.
• Revising Medicaid regulations in states that require the CCC for billing. See those states here.
• Revising the CCC credential requirement with BCBS Wisconsin, BCBS Pennsylvania, and BCBS Maine.
• Collaborating with state licensing boards to clarify exact requirements in the state for licensure by removing ASHA-related language.
• Addressing the CCC requirement for initial state licensure in Nevada, Delaware, and Virginia.
• Monitoring the development of the ASLP Interstate Compact and watching to see if ASHA entangles the CCC in its requirements.
• The SLP CEU market- how CEUs are (or, more realistically, are not) regulated and how SLPs can be informed consumers of CE products.
• Questioning the validity of certification products that use predatory marketing tactics and false promises of increased pay and credibility.
• Offering guidance for new grads on transitioning from grad school to the professional world amid significant changes in the profession.

Our Promise to Clinicians

We promise to stand with you, amplify your voice, and challenge the barriers that hold you back. Fix SLP is committed to advocating for your autonomy, supporting your growth, and fighting for a fair and equitable profession. Together, we will create a future where your expertise is valued, your work is sustainable, and your impact is unlimited. You are not alone—we are fixing this together.

Our Team

Jeanette Benigas, Ph.D., SLP
Owner and Operations Director

Jeanette Benigas, Ph.D., SLP, owns the mobile FEES company Safe Swallowing Diagnostics, practices as a PRN medical SLP in acute care, HH, SNF, and OP, and has over a decade of teaching experience at universities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York and for multiple CEU platforms. Her primary goal as an educator is to contribute to the knowledge of future and practicing clinicians with foundational or advanced clinical knowledge related to adult neurological and swallowing disorders for more relevant, functional, and confident practice. You can find her advocating for issues related to medical SLP on IG and drinking coffee for survival.

Disclosures:

• Owner of Safe Swallowing Diagnostics, LLC
• Medical SLP
• Author, Public Speaker
• Former Full Professor and Researcher
• @MedSLPadvocate
• Currently paying for ASHA membership and the CCC under the guidance of the movement's lawyer (to potentially take legal action against ASHA on behalf of SLPs and Fix SLP)

 

Preston Lewis, M.S., SLP
Director of Public Policy and Legislative Affairs 

Preston describes himself as "a speech therapist and recovering politician."

His SLP history includes SNF, psychiatric, and correctional settings. A former elected city councilor, sports broadcaster, and volunteer for the Conservative Party of Canada, Preston is passionate about issues that impact working-class clinicians trying to survive in today's economy.

Preston is a newlywed and proud father to an incredibly bright preteen daughter. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, writing, and refining his recipe for curry chicken.

Disclosures:

• Medical SLP
• @fixslp.shotcaller
• Not afraid of a political knife fight in a phone booth
• Does not hold the ASHA membership or the CCC

 

Elizabeth Nielsen, M.A., SLP
Content Coordinator

Elizabeth Nielsen owns the private practice Tiny Voice Therapy Services, LLC, on her farm in Elburn, IL. She is a certified therapeutic horseback riding instructor and American Hippotherapy Association Level 1 trained to incorporate hippotherapy into her practice. She is a neurodiversity-affirming therapist and specializes in working with AAC. Elizabeth is passionate about helping her clients advocate for themselves and feel a sense of autonomy. She has the same passion for advocating for positive changes in the field for all speech-language pathologists and the clients we serve.

Disclosures:

• Owner of Tiny Voice Therapy Services, LLC
• Pediatric SLP
• @tiny_voice_therapy
• Does not hold ASHA membership
• Currently paying for the CCC to supervise graduate students pursuing the purchase.CCC 

Mikayla Treynor, M.A., SLP
Regional Liaison

Mikayla Treynor owns Sandy Speaks Therapy, founded in honor of her late mother. Sandy Speaks Therapy provides in-home services to pediatric and geriatric clients in Metro Detroit, MI. Mikayla has worked in a variety of settings, including outpatient, SNFs, schools, psychiatric facilities, and trach/ventilator populations within intensive care units as a director of rehab. She is a client-led, neurodiversity-affirming therapist who specializes in gestalt language processing, childhood apraxia of speech, AAC, and dysphagia. Mikayla is passionate about advocacy efforts regarding access to care, quality therapy through connection, and increasing the autonomy and respect of SLPs within the field.

Disclosures:

• Owner of Sandy Speaks Therapy, LLC
• Pediatric and Medical SLP
• @sandyspeakstherapy
• One of the "Angry SLPs in Michigan"
• She is currently paying for ASHA membership and the CCC because they are both requirements of the ASHA NOMs, which her PRN employer, Powerback Rehabilitation, requires, requires.

Alexa Chapman, M.A., SLP
Regional Liaison

Alexa Chapman is primarily a school-based SLP in northwest Michigan. She also works in teletherapy and skilled nursing. She is a mom of two, a beekeeper, a yoga teacher, and a chicken mama. You can find her growing things in jars, making sourdough, and playing in the bee yard in her spare time. Alexa is passionate about autonomy in all aspects of her life and career. Her special interests include language, articulation, culturally competent goal writing, and improving quality care for patients with dementia.

Disclosures:

• School-based and Medical SLP
• @hey_alexa_slp
• One of the "Angry SLPs in Michigan"
• She is not planning to renew her ASHA membership for 2025. She is waiting for her PRN employer to confirm that she can discontinue CCC since the Medicaid billing requirements have only recently changed in Michigan.