The boundary between speech and language therapy and psychotherapy has always been described as porous: indeed, speech and language therapy involves psychological phenomena, both at the level of language and at the level of the relationship that forms between the professional and the child. This relational dynamic plays out within two therapeutic frameworks: the Relational Pedagogy of Language (PRL) and Language and Communication Therapy (TLC).

The Relational Pedagogy of Language (PRL)

Behind the PRL theory is Claude Chassagny, a schoolteacher devoted to dyslexic children. Despite the contribution of technique, he observed that some difficulties would freeze while others would shift. From this, he chose to give the relationship priority in remediation. Sitting at the crossroads of pedagogy, linguistics, and psychoanalysis, his approach speaks to any professional who questions the meaning of their work: educators, psychomotor therapists, social workers, speech and language therapists…

For its creator, the PRL process unfolds in 3 stages:

  • The stance: at the start of remediation, the child is received as they are, without interpretation.
  • The negotiation: here, the child gives up certain satisfactions in the hope of others. They begin to express what they want.
  • The expression: this period reflects the child’s development outside the speech therapy session and generally leads to their wanting to stop the sessions.

A PRL speech and language therapist cannot prepare their sessions in advance: with their technique and creativity, they accompany the child, who is often surprised to be seen differently. The child generally takes hold of this new space and grows with the help of the professional’s relevant interventions.

Language and Communication Therapy (TLC)

After exploring remediation, psychopedagogy, and psychoanalysis, Marc Lindenfeld created TLC together with Geneviève Dubois and other professionals brought together within ATHELEC (the Association of Language and Communication Therapists). With this new approach, disorders are seen as a symptom that carries meaning. Remediation, then, is driven by the symptom itself…

A TLC process begins with a therapeutic verbal contract, which sets out the objectives, methods, and framework for the work. Here, the professional pays close attention to the request of the patient, who becomes a subject, rather than an object of remediation. This listening supports the other person’s gradual progress, through carefully adapted responses. It’s worth noting that any intersubjective relationship (between 2 subjects) is subject to transference: recognising this helps to better perceive the dynamic within the therapeutic relationship, stay clear-headed, and factor in counter-transferential elements.

 

Positioned clearly between speech and language therapy and psychotherapy, TLC addresses symptoms that belong to both professions and cannot be separated for treatment purposes. PRL, meanwhile, aims for reciprocity within a relationship that is inherently unbalanced (the adult/child dynamic and the professional/client dynamic), by giving the child’s expression a genuine place. In both cases, these two frameworks position the professional as a companion on the path of discovery unique to each child.