Speech-Language Pathology
General News
Alumni News
In 2023, Amber (Lewis) Schafer, MS ‘18, experienced a profound and heartbreaking turn in her life - her daughter tragically passed away during childbirth after a full-term pregnancy.
It was an unspeakable family tragedy. But it catapulted Schafer into opening her own private speech-language pathology practice, called Rosie Speech, named after her daughter.
“I knew that I wanted to continue working as a speech therapist with the pediatric population, but I definitely wanted the hours to be more flexible so I could spend more time with my family,” said Schafer. “That was a huge priority for me and that’s what drove me to open my own practice so I could have more flexible hours.”
Growing up in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Schafer knew that she wanted to work with children, and went back and forth between wanting a career as a teacher or a nurse. But when she entered West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, she went in undecided.
It was her freshman advisor who suggested she take an introduction to speech class, which immediately piqued her interest.
“I kind of stumbled into that major, but I was instantly compelled by the content of that course,” said Schafer. “The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the profession.”
During her undergraduate years, Schafer did a lot of volunteer work and shadowing in the SLP profession and her love for it continued to grow. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, she had her eye on the SLP program at Salus University, which at the time was in its infancy.
“I really loved my interview process at Salus. I thought it was extremely cool that they were able to put all the paperwork aside and just look at the person and have a conversation with them as part of the interview process,” she said. “That person-first feel really spoke to me.”
Schafer entered what would be the second-ever cohort of the Salus SLP program, which she said taught her to problem-solve and think on her feet.
“They throw you right in to the clinic and it was the best thing that could have happened to me and all my colleagues,” she said. “The speech world is small and so many people know that about Salus and they really appreciate it when they have those people come work for them. They feel like SLPs are very prepared and we also felt very prepared when we started.”
That served Schafer well in the professional world right from the start of her career. After graduating from Salus, she spent three years working with the school-age population in the Cecil County Public Schools in Maryland. After getting married, she and her husband Richard, moved back to Pennsylvania, where Schafer spent another three years in the public school system, this time in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
In 2024, Schafer opened Rosie Speech in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, where she works with the pediatric population and their families. One thing that sets the business apart is parents and caregivers sit in on all the sessions and learn about the coaching aspects of speech-language pathology.
Right now, Schafer is looking to grow the business, turn her part-time employees into full-time, establish externships for Salus at Drexel University Master of Science SLP students and become more involved in the Conshohocken community.
When not doing all of that, she and her husband and their two sons, Lincoln and Roman, spend time exploring local parks and going down the shore. She is also in a book club with her neighbors.
“Working with the pediatric populations is such a joy,” said Schafer. “And, I still use nuggets of information and certain experiences that I got in the Salus SLP program, which definitely shaped me into the speech therapist I am today."
