Susie Harder: Promoting student voice

Susie Harder, M.A., CCC-SLP is an experienced clinician who devotes much of her passion to working with children, teens, and adults who stutter. She works in private practice and the school setting to help support children who stutter, trains speech-language pathologists to work more effectively with students who stutter, provides various fluency trainings to school districts across the state, and is also directing the Junior Authors Program platform.

Susie grew up in Central California and completed her Bachelor’s Degree at Fresno State. She earned her Master’s Degree at Northwestern University, rated #2 in the nation for their program. While there, she met Kristin Chmela, M.A., CCC-SLP, BCS-F, an internationally recognized fluency specialist who had a true passion for helping kids who stutter. After graduating, Kristin and Susie have continued to work closely. Susie credits her passion and knowledge for working with people who stutter to Kristin Chmela, her mentor.

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Susie has a history of designing and building successful programs. During her time in Fresno Unified School District (2011-2015), Susie designed and piloted a successful framework for a Fluency Consultant role to utilize specialty skills and support SLPs. In 2016, Susie created a private practice focused on supporting children, teens, and adults who stutter. Within her practice, she built a mentoring program for children and teens who stutter to help guide younger children who are experiencing similar challenges. Most recently (2020), following the devastation of the Central California Creek Fire, she decided to write a book to help children who lost homes in the fire. During the process of writing the book, she created a unique platform to reinvent how children connect with literacy and books. Through the Junior Authors Program, children are involved in ongoing votes to help build the book from rough draft to published book on Amazon.

Susie’s love of working with children is evident from the first time you meet her. She cares for each one of the families she works with. She is full of positive energy, encouragement, and is an invaluable resource for anyone she works with. 

“If we can, for ourselves and for our kids, find that Thing that gives us that real inspiration and that true, genuine, ‘I am excited about today because I get to do blank, not I have to do blank, but I get to do blank.’ That really can shift so much of  pulling back from the day and kind of move into the launch forward into the day.”

– Susie Harder

Show Highlights

• Hometown was on fire and out of the ashes a purposeful way to build connection emerged
• Tips and tricks to give more voice to your staff 
• Junior Authors creates an excitement for learning and the ability to cope during life’s crises 
• How we pass along compliments can be empowering or meaningless
• Taking massive action quickly can accomplish more than planning for action
• Be a recovering perfectionist for progress 
• Create opportunities to celebrate 
• Life feels like the hundred pieces puzzle

Susie Harder’s Resources & Contact Info:

• The Miracle Morning
• Junior Authors Program
• Twitter
• LinkedIn