Testimonials

"I had the privilege of working with Ms. Watts as my clinical mentor during graduate school, and I truly couldn’t have asked for a more knowledgeable, supportive, and inspiring speech language pathologist to guide me. She consistently went above and beyond to prepare me for success as a speech language pathologist, and her mentorship continues to shape and support my clinical practice today. Ms. Watts has an incredible gift for breaking down complex concepts and explaining them in a way that just clicks. She doesn’t just give answers, she builds your confidence and equips you to find them yourself. Her thoughtful, encouraging energy touches everyone she works with, from students and colleagues to the clients and families she serves. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found such a dedicated and gifted mentor in Ms. Watts, and I know that anyone who works with her, whether as a client or a professional, will feel just as lucky."

— Hannah Christiansen, Speech Therapist

"I have known Phyllis for the past two years during her training in our Master's Degree program in Communication Disorders. I had the pleasure of supervising Phyllis with an adult client in our clinic during her first semester of clinical training. Phyllis worked with a young man whose foreign accent was causing him to be misunderstood in class. This young man also wanted to address problems he had mastering English grammar. Phyllis was extremely thorough in her preparation for therapy. She took initiative to probe various aspects of her client's speech and language: developing activities, materials, and approaches to suit his unique problems. Phyllis conducted herself professionally, with confidence, maturity, and excellent interpersonal skills. Her written work was detailed and precise. In supervision meetings, Phyllis was open to constructive feedback, often offering ideas of her own before they were suggested to her. I have maintained contact with Phyllis, informally, since our first semester's work together. I have tremendous respect for her. She is an extremely hard-working woman with clear goals for herself. She has done very well in our program and I am confident that she will now succeed professionally."

— Shelly Lipshults, Clinical Instructor at Emerson College, 1996

“Phyllis has done a remarkable job in all the varying demands placed upon her at the preschool level. She has adjusted quickly and extremely well to an educational setting which functions quite differently than her previous medical work settings. She has used her high level of intelligence to quickly learn the techniques that are unique to assessing and working with very young children. She has excellent observational abilities that she has utilized to enhance her evaluation skills. Phyllis has readily established rapport with staff and effectively communicates her educational plans with them. She has the ability to put parents at ease and provides them with a clear understanding of their child's communication needs. Children generally respond well to her and have fun as part of her speech and language therapy sessions.”

Hugh Broughel, School Psychologist of Waterbury Preschool

"I have known and worked with Ms.Watts for over 20 years. I first encountered Mrs. Watts' skills while working as a special education teacher at Chamberlin Elementary School. During her time at Chamberlin, Ms.Watts held a variety of roles including mentor, case manager, colleague, and a reliable supportive resource. I later observed her work with students as the building Speech Pathologist during my time as the Assistant Principal at Gaffney School. Her work, at all grade levels, has provided students with the tools they need to access learning, with her broad perspective of teaching strategies, knowledge and content. During her time in New Britain, Ms.Watts has consistently searched for new answers to address the many challenges of our students with diverse needs. She collaborates with her colleagues to meet the increasing demands of our student population. Ms.Watts is knowledgeable about a broad repertoire of instructional strategies. She values the strategic use of whole groups and small groups as she individualizes service deliveries that are tailored to match student readiness, interest, and learning styles as well as fit the developmental needs of each student. She has wealth, along with depth of knowledge in her specialized area. I consider Ms.Watts to be not only a resource to staff, students and families, but an expert in the area of Communication."

Janice Pina, Assistant Principal of Slade Middle School

“Ms.Watts is an excellent Speech and Language Pathologist who immediately established a rapport with students, faculty members and parents at our school. Ms.Watts demonstrates a sound knowledge and implementation of the Connecticut Common Core and there is ease, confidence and expertise evident in her work. I had many opportunities to observe Ms.Watts' skills as a Speech and Language Pathologist. We also participated together in planning meetings, along with parents and other professionals, to establish educational and therapeutic goals for students at Gaffney School. Ms.Watts demonstrates the exceptional intellectual ability required to understand and apply the skills necessary for working with many types of students. She also demonstrates the compassion necessary for teaching and for relating to parents. In the several years that I have interacted with Ms.Watts, I have found her to be a polite, responsible, sincere, and an all-around well thought-of person. She is also very punctual in meeting all work obligations, is extremely good at forming positive relationships with some of our most challenging families, and has a positive and cohesive influence on our Special Educational team. Her self motivation and keen desire to stay current with concern to speech and language practices are to be commended. Ms.Watts is competent, understands how children grow and develop, and has a sincere interest in helping students to develop to the best of their ability. Her dedication is as fine or finer than any I have seen. She works tirelessly with children, families and staff at the school.”

Anita Fazio, Principal of Gaffney Elementary

"In my capacity as school psychologist and PPT coordinator for the Consolidated School District of New Britain, I have had the pleasure to work with Phyllis Watts at DiLoreto Elementary School, Smalley Academy, and Slade Middle School. While I have worked closely with many excellent speech pathologists over the course of my 16 year career, Phyllis is without question the finest speech therapist that I have ever worked with. She has a comprehensive breadth of knowledge and is able to communicate that knowledge highly effectively; whether it be to her students; to parents at a PPT meeting; collaborating with school staff; training teachers, interns, speech assistants; or briefing myself or administrators on a particular case. In my discussions and collaboration with her, I have been enriched immeasurably by what she has taught me about her area of expertise. However, Phyllis has also become well known for many of her professional qualities that are not specific to the areas of speech and language. Phyllis has a remarkable eye for detail and is always prepared far beyond expectations for any given situation. She is known for her extraordinary rapport with parents and has often been the linchpin in achieving success in cases in which parents are distrustful, suspicious, or have other negative feelings toward the school for some reason. She is also an analytical thinker who can break down complex problems and develop innovative solutions and interventions - even in areas that are not directly centered on speech and language issues. Finally, I have been remarkably impressed by her general interpersonal skills, her ability to build consensus, and her subtle skill in establishing a positive team culture and raising morale on any team or group of which she is a part."

Dr. Daniel Witt, School Psychologist at Slade Middle School