Melissa Long is a Speech Language Pathologist at our Rice Lake Clinic.
The team of Pediatric Therapists at NorthLakes Community Clinic is excited to add Melissa Long, MS, CCC-SLP, IMH-E®, to their Rice Lake Clinic team. Having over 20 years of experience collaborating with families and growing her specialties in early childhood development, Melissa Long brings both knowledge and expertise to her Speech Language Pathologist role.
She holds a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and a Bachelor of Science in Communicative Disorders from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Additionally, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has deemed Long Clinically Competent.
When asked about her professional interests, Long discussed treatments for a variety of speech and language disorders in infants, toddlers and school-aged children. At NorthLakes, she plans to tap into her extensive background of these – including apraxia of speech, aural rehabilitation following cochlear implant as well as autism spectrum disorder. The speech language pathologist is also endorsed as an Infant Family Specialist at the state level, emphasizing her commitment to supporting children in navigating their emotions and forming secure relationships.
To describe her philosophy of care, Melissa Long said, “My approach involves looking at the whole person, like their experiences and their needs, instead of simply focusing on their diagnosis. When kids feel safe and enjoy therapy, I find that they make better progress in their communication.”
Her advice to families who are headed to their first speech therapy appointment is to “Come prepared with pertinent family history and be ready to talk about the ways communication delay is affecting daily life.” She said, “Together, we will make a plan.”
Long is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, canoeing and rollerblading. She also finds joy in reading and attending her children’s sporting events.
NorthLakes invites the community to join them in welcoming their new speech language pathologist and looks forward to the positive impact she will make in Rice Lake. For more information about scheduling an appointment with Melissa Long, please call (715) 719-1010 to get in touch with staff at the Rice Lake Clinic.
