About therapy for speech, swallowing, & orofacial myofunctional disorders
The goal of therapy is to set you or your child up for success inside and outside the session. The best therapy for speech is speaking. The best therapy for the swallow is swallowing. The best therapy for resting posture, is you guessed it, resting posture. Therapy will often look like reading, conversation, chewing, and eating! We will need to do a few other tasks along the way, and I will pull out evidence backed techniques to help you meet your goals. I will try to keep therapy as functional as possible; this is how we make real change, making your home program easier to incorporate into your busy life.
We always work just one little step ahead, moving you closer and closer to achieving your best. Therapy is typically 40-minute weekly sessions covering all or most goal areas. Each week in therapy, you should feel challenged but fully supported. As you progress in therapy, we will fade treatment, gradually reducing the frequency of sessions.
You can also learn more here:
Meet our Speech-Language Pathologist
What are people saying about Christina?
"We worked with Christina Semonick for my 14 year old daughter who had many physical issues with regard to her mouth and eating. I couldn’t say enough good things about her. She was professional, prompt, knowledgeable, kind, funny and a very nice person. She really was a perfect fit for us. Best speech therapist I have come across for sure!"
"Christina is absolutely amazing!! We live relatively far away and it's been a pleasure to make the trip to see her. She has phenomenal depth of experience/understanding and the best demeanor to work with."
"There are not enough stars to express how exceptional Christina is! Several years ago I was undergoing myofunctional therapy with a provider in Canada and was unfortunately feeling overwhelmed and confused. An SLP colleague recommended that I reach out to Christina for guidance and support and I will forever be grateful that I did as the mentorship that Christina provided changed my life both personally and professionally. Her extensive knowledge and willingness to share her expertise allowed me to have a deeper understanding of my orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) and was instrumental in my treatment success and improved overall health and well-being. Her enthusiasm and passion for this field was contagious and with her encouragement, I sought out training myself and now run a private practice focusing on the assessment and treatment of OMD.
If you are an SLP interested in exploring this field, or are new to myofunctional therapy, I highly recommend connecting with Christina. You’ll be glad you did!"
"Christina is an expert clinician and has been working with my son to help him get through some difficult problems. She always inspires him to try his best, which is not always easy with an adolescent. I cannot imagine his working with anyone else. Christina is terrific!"
"Christina is AMAZING!! Professional, creative, caring, thorough. I can't imagine there is a better speech therapist around."
Christina Semonick
SLPD, CCC-SLP
I often say that speech therapy chose me! Some of my earliest childhood memories are playing "speech teacher" with my older sister, who is Autistic and minimally verbal. It has been wonderful to see her embrace advances in assistive technology and find her voice! My late father had Parkinson's disease, and witnessing how it impacted his voice, swallow, and quality of life deeply shaped my clinical trajectory. As a neurodivergent clinician who manages multiple medical conditions, I have had to become my own fierce advocate within the healthcare system. This lived experience informs everything I do, allowing me to approach speech, airway, and swallowing therapy with deep empathy, authentic understanding, and a grounded commitment to realistic, achievable goals that fit seamlessly into your life.
My practice, Clarity Speech Therapy, provides specialized care tailored to school-age children, teenagers, and adults (ages 6 to 60) who face complex oral resting posture, speech, airway, and swallowing differences. My clinical focus spans from childhood through adulthood—addressing complex jaw pain (orofacial pain), sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing, orthodontic differences, high palates, tongue ties (pre- and post-operative surgical care), pre- and post-operative orthognathic surgery rehabilitation, and more. My mission is to educate clients and their families so that they can empower themselves to achieve their goals and improve their quality of life.
I graduated from the University of Alberta in Canada in 2012 with an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, and went on to earn my doctorate in Speech Language Pathology (SLPD) from Northwestern in 2024. I hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) from ASHA and am licensed to practice in California. My background spans inpatient medical care, home health, schools, and university academia—giving me a comprehensive foundation across both medical and educational speech-language pathology. Driven by clinical excellence, I have earned ASHA’s Award for Continuing Education (ACE) every year since moving to the US.
Beyond direct clinical care, I am deeply committed to advancing science-based medicine, shaping our field, and mentoring fellow Speech-Language Pathologists:
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Leadership & Professional Roles: I serve as a Board Member, District 4 Director, and District 4 Advisory Committee member for the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CSHA), as well as Founder and President of the soon-to-launch Institute for Functional Speech Language Pathology (IFSLP). I am an advisor to the American Sleep Apnea Association and a former co-chair of the Integrative Medicine Task Force within the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM).
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Research & Global Speaking: I have had the pleasure of being an invited presenter at national and international conferences. I lecture on the intersections of orofacial myofunctional disorders, dysphagia, sleep-disordered breathing, and hypermobility/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). I am also developing a specialized training program to educate other SLPs on orofacial pain and sleep-disordered breathing.
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SLP Clinical Mentorship: I offer 1:1 clinical coaching, case consultation, and mentorship for Speech-Language Pathologists seeking to deepen their expertise in orofacial myofunctional disorders, airway health, and complex structural/pain conditions.
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Professional Affiliations: Active member of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP), Dysphagia Research Society (DRS), International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), International Consortium of Oral Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP), International Pediatric Sleep Association (IPSA), and World Sleep Society (WSS), and more...
Key Speaking Engagements & Community Outreach
- February 2026: Ehlers-Danlos Support UK: Everyday Eating with Ehlers-Danlos: Chewing, Swallowing, and Beyond.
- October 2024: American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) 2024 Conference: Integrative Medicine in Speech-Language Pathology
- 2024: Ehlers-Danlos Society's 2024 Global Learning Conference: EDS, HSD, and the Orofacial Region: Chewing, Swallowing, and Tongue Posture
- 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026: Project Echo: The Ehlers-Danlos Society continuing education for allied healthcare professionals lecture topic: “Headaches, TMJ Dysfunction, Facial Pain, Speech & Swallowing”
- May 2023: American Academy of Orofacial Pain 47th Scientific Meeting, lecture and panel on Myofunctional Therapy
- April 2022: Local County Dental Society: Assessment of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders 101.
- July 2021: Local Speech Pathology Clinic: Chew on this! Oral preparation for swallowing and healthy function.
- March & April 2021: San Francisco State University: Influence of the oral mechanism on speech sound production.
- August 2020: Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences Congress 2020: Dysphagia & Sleep: What myofunctional therapists can learn from our dysphagia colleagues.
- January 2020: Local school district: Orofacial myofunctional therapy for the school speech-language pathologist.
- September 2019: Awake Together Summit: Panel on multidisciplinary treatment of sleep apnea
- Ongoing community outreach to educate local dental and speech therapy clinics e.g., Introduction to orofacial myofunctional therapy: How orofacial structure and swallow can impact sleep breathing.
Communication, chewing, and swallowing are essential to our health, social connections, and quality of life. Whether you are a patient, parent, or fellow clinician looking for guidance, I look forward to working with you!
Christina (she/her)
Select professional development experiences
Employment opportunities
NO FORMAL UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTS; however, supplemental observation hours may be available pending client consent.
Would you define yourself as great with technology? Are you interested in research and orofacial myofunctional disorders? Are you planning to apply to a master's program and want to gain experience in a private practice? If you’re the right fit, we’ll design a position that matches what makes you exceptional. Persons from all genders, races, religions, and abilities are actively encouraged to apply.
Undergrad Communication Sciences & Disorders Intern: Tasks may include but are not limited to the following:
- Observation hours with data collection
- Literature reviews
- Database management
- Compiling documents or data for analysis
- Assisting with research projects
- Analyzing new research against requested criteria (e.g., CONSORT checklist)
- Formatting presentations, workbooks, or other documents
- Editing course videos
- Creation of marketing materials (e.g., social media templates)
- Formatting social media content
- Scheduling posts, advertisements, and email campaigns
- Review analytics for future improvements
- On-boarding and off-boarding online learners
- Scheduling mentorship meetings with online learners
- Anything else between!
What are your skills? Show me what you can do, and let's do it 🙂
