Hello, I am Rachel.

I'm a specialist Speech and Language Therapist and I run an independent practice, Rachel Joseph SLT, in Essex, now approaching its tenth year. I qualified from City University London in 2010 and have worked in the UK, Cambodia and Singapore, including in the first DIR Floortime school in Asia.

I work with children and young people with complex communication and neurodevelopmental needs, many of whom have experienced early trauma or disrupted relationships. My approach is formulation-led. I look at the whole child: sensory processing, motor planning, emotional regulation, relationships and the environments around them, rather than treating language as an isolated skill.

I have worked with Family Futures as a contracted SLT since 2021, providing in-depth, trauma-informed speech and language assessments for children and families. I also work closely with the Family Futures team, offering coaching, mentorship and advice, and I join them when advocating for specific clients.

I work with Family Futures because their understanding of developmental trauma matches how I understand communication: as something shaped first by safety and relationship. This allows me to give families detailed assessments and reports that explain a young person's communication profile, not just describe it.