Meet Matt Phillips! Matt is an alumnus of the UConn Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Undergraduate and MA-SLP programs. His interest in the field of SLP was motivated by his own experiences with speech therapy as a person who stutters (PWS). Matt says that many of the interventions he received were well-intentioned, but they were not very helpful. This fueled his own desire to engage in not only clinical practice as an SLP, but also research related to stuttering. He currently works as a clinical fellow (CF) at Creative Development, a pediatric private practice in CT. He also treats clients through the Sisskin Stuttering Center, located in Virginia. His clinical interests include working with PWS and pediatric language disorders. Matt’s favorite part about being an SLP is building positive relationships with his clients and their families and helping them become competent and effective communicators.

Matt also conducts research related to the experiences of people who stutter. His Master’s thesis investigated what people who stutter found most and least helpful about speech therapy, and also how SLPs currently implement intervention for clients who stutter.

When asked about his favorite part of attending UConn, Matt says he loves how early in the MA-SLP program students start treating clients in the clinic. He felt that this allowed him to gain experience with a wide range of clinical populations, ranging from young kids to adults.

A fun fact about Matt is that he was a member of the UConn Pep band during his undergraduate career at UConn, where he played the mellophone and saxophone!