Therapist, Trainer, ConsultantHanna Novak, M.S., CCC-SLP is a licensed and board certified Speech and Language Therapist based in Los Angeles, CA.
Hi there, I am so glad you're here! As a wearer of many hats, my professional work encompasses being the Clinical Director at The Center for Connection in Pasadena, a local and national speaker/trainer/consultant, and a licensed and board certified Speech and Language Therapist. Within my clinical work, I have a primary focus on pediatric and young adult services that support self-/emotional-regulation, social communication, executive functioning, and speech and language development. I believe in a neurodiversity-affirming, play-based, child-led, developmental approach to therapy informed by the Interpersonal Neurobiology framework. In an effort to fully support the whole-person, I utilize clients’ strengths and interests, while honoring their unique neurodevelopmental constellations, in order to help them achieve their communication goals. Since all communication occurs within social contexts, I consider the many environments, activities, and relationships within which a client’s interactions take place, and the client and I collaboratively develop goals that maximize personal communication success. Mindfulness activities, sensory-regulation opportunities, considerations of/support for trauma, emotional-regulation supports, and metacognitive thinking strategies are woven into therapy sessions. I welcome each client to come exactly as they are, knowing they will be safe, seen, and celebrated for the unique ways their brain wires and fires. My interest in the role of one’s overall regulation on their communicative success led me to co-create The Brain Talk Curriculum, a program designed to teach students about their brains and how to use their executive functioning capacities of the prefrontal cortex to respond, plan, and reflect mindfully rather than react impulsively. In addition to providing individual and group therapy services, I regularly consult with and train school and therapy teams to support greater understanding of self-regulation, executive functioning, mindfulness, and social-cognitive strategies. She has trained PreK-12 teachers, parents, and professionals across the United States. I completed my undergraduate degree in Political Science at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR, went on to pursue a post-baccalaureate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Portland State University in Portland, OR, and received my Masters of Science in Speech and Language Sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. I love to experience the sights, sounds, and adventures of new places while traveling with my family. I enjoy hiking, cooking, continually expanding our home garden, chasing after my kids and dog, and tasting my way through LA's neighborhoods! SLP #22095 |
Listen to Hanna's full interview as a special guest on Shrink Rap Radio (podcast #564): Metacognitive Thinking Strategies for Students. You can learn more about Hanna's interview and Shrink Rap Radio here!
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