Speech Language Pathology

Bay Area SpeechWorks is comprised of dedicated Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) and Speech Language Pathology Assistants (SLP-A) who have a passion for what we do. All of our SLPs and SLP-As are licensed in the state of California. All of our SLPs also hold national certificates of clinical competence (CCC) from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA.) Click here to learn more about what we do.

Biographies

Leslie Brodbeck Whitaker – MA, CCC-SLP

Leslie Brodbeck Whitaker is the owner and founder of Bay Area SpeechWorks. She is licensed to practice speech language pathology in California and holds national certification in Speech Language Pathology from the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also a certified in PROMPT and Hannen methodologies and is a candidate for becoming a certified OroFacial Myologist.

Leslie grew up in North Palm Beach, Florida. She graduated with a BA in English Literature from Florida State University and an MA in Communication Disorders from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. After completing her internship at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital focusing on traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and vocal rehabilitation, she completed her clinical fellowship year at the Devereaux Foundation in Santa Barbara where she worked on a multi-disciplinary team with children diagnosed with severe multiple learning and behavioral challenges including autism, Down’s Syndrome, and schizophrenia.

Leslie worked for the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) from 1998-2002 in elementary and high schools before going into private practice. While in private practice, she has supervised student clinicians and clinical fellows from San Francisco State University.

Currently, Leslie is working with private clients at the BASW clinic part-time while contracting and consulting with public and private schools around the Bay Area. While her professional interests are varied, she has particular interest in working with school-aged children and adults with expressive language and social cognitive deficits.

Leslie lives in Mill Valley with her husband, two young children, and little black pug. When she is not working, you can find her at the beach, the yoga studio, the local playgrounds, or running at Blackie’s pasture.

Leslie has received the following continuing education:

• Hanen- It Takes Two to Talk, certified Hanen provider
• Michelle Garcia Winner-Social Thinking for people with social cognitive deficits
• PROMPT- Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets , certified
• Links to Language- Linguistic Foundations of Discourse
• OroFacial Myology- as instructed by Sandra R. Holtzman, currently a candidate for certification
• Kauffman Speech Praxis—childhood apraxia
• Lindamoond Bell-LiPS and Visualizing to Verbalize
• Compton-Foreign accent reduction

Audrey R. Krajewski – MA, CCC-SLP

Audrey is a Northern CA native who earned a master’s degree from San Jose State University in Communication Disorders, following the completion of a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento in Speech Pathology & Audiology. She has also received a Certification of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, is licensed by the California Speech-Language Hearing Association, and holds a California credential in Rehabilitative Services.

Audrey has worked in skilled nursing facilities, schools, and in home-based and outpatient clinic settings. She has provided assessment and treatment of children with a wide variety of diagnoses including neuromotor disabilities, phonological disorders, language impairments, dyspraxia, autism spectrum disorders, and Down syndrome. Audrey’s main interest includes working in early intervention and with children in schools and within the clinical setting. She works with children and their families concentrating on expressive & receptive language therapy, articulation/phonological therapy, motor planning/sound sequencing, oral motor techniques, sensory techniques, word finding techniques, and non verbal communication activities.

Audrey is professionally trained in PROMPT, Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS), and the Kaufman approach to working with childhood apraxia of speech. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, listening to live music, dining out, reading, and spending time with her husband and nieces.

Carol Benson – MA, CCC-SLP

Carol received a Masters degree in  Sciences from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She has over twenty-five years of extensive experience in both pediatric and adult populations; working with a wide variety of communication disorders. She specializes in Early Start communication development, behavioral and coaching, innovative and collaborative communication strategies to promote speech, language, social thinking and augmentative communication development. She also has advanced training in oral-motor disorders of speech and feeding.

A mother of two teenage sons, Sam and Zach, she juggles and shares a busy life with her husband, Paul Benson, owner of Bay Area Green Certified companies, Blue Turtle Roofing and Paul Benson Painting, Inc. A vegetarian devoted to organic and sustainable foods, Carol is a writer of many genres. Active, she enjoys rigorous hikes, working out, dancing the “Five Rhythms” practice developed by Gabrielle Roth, taking Zumba classes, gardening, attending a monthly book group, film, and other cultural pursuits. She also is on the steering committee of GoSolarMarin which supports a community solar purchase program.

Jessica Shafer – MS, CCC-SLP

Jessica received her Bachelors degree from Tufts University in Medford, MA where she studied Spanish and Child Development and studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for one year. Jessica received a Master of Science Degree in Communicative Disorders specializing in Speech Pathology from San Francisco State University. She holds a Clinical Rehabilitative Services Credential and has received Slingerland training. Her clinical experience includes diagnosis and treatment of childhood and adult speech and language disorders, voice disorders and dysphagia.Jessica has worked in a variety of settings including private practice, schools and hospitals.

She is bilingual in English/Spanish and provides evaluations and therapy in Spanish to her early intervention clients.

Molly Williamson – BA, SLP-A

Molly Williamson is a California certified Speech Language Pathology Assistant. Molly graduated from California State University-Chico with a BA in Communication Sciences & Disorders. During Molly’s studies at CSUC, she worked for two years at Chico state’s Autism Clinic/Sensory Motor Lab. Molly received her SLP Assistant credential from Loma Linda University and did her internship at Redding Memorial Regional Center in the Neurology Unit.

Molly joined the team at Bay Area SpeechWorks in August of 2008. Molly primarily works in local school districts and works with a wide variety of students including those with basic articulation disorders to children experiencing severe developmental disorders. Molly is familiar and adept at working with high and low tech communication devices.

In Molly’s free time, she enjoys gardening, oil painting, and spending time in the great outdoors.

Marjorie Murray – bookkeeper

Marge has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Florida and has spent her entire working career owning and managing small businesses.  After retirement, Marge realized that playing bridge and reading was not enough to keep her occupied so she decided to provide bookkeeping services to small growing businesses. In her spare time she still enjoys duplicate bridge, reading, and spending time with her husband and grandchildren. She also volunteers with the AARP and prepares tax returns during tax season.