Therapist Feature: Kim Koch, SLP

Our featured therapist for August is Speech Language Pathologist Kim Koch!

Kim has been working as an SLP or 26 years and initially started working in the profession through a calling to special education when she began looking through her college catalogues. After starting in special education, Kim began to learn more about speech therapy and met many people working in that discipline and the aspect of providing individualized therapy appealed to her interests. Working with Tilton’s Therapy for Tots over the course of the last year, Kim has enjoyed getting the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with families. 

Through the mobile therapy in the natural environment, often the home, Kim can work with kids while their parents or caregivers are present, allowing her to increase their understanding and carry over the methods or therapy utilized in their daily routines. The same goes with daycare facilities she has the opportunity to work with - having the staff or caregivers present during therapy helps the techniques and focus carry over into the normal day-to-day routines. 

Throughout Kim’s career, she has worked in a variety of settings including private practice, long-term care, as well as facilities like Healthsouth Rehabilitation Outpatient, Summerlin Hospital, and North Vista Hospital. Beyond that, Kim has experience working with CCSD in Child Find and in schools along with early childhood intervention through different agencies for about 11 years. She also has worked in home health care with adults! An additional specialized skill that Kim brings to our patients at TT4T is her training in vital stimulation for pediatric and adult swallowing patients. You can learn more about vital stim in one of this month’s featured resources for parents and caregivers. 

Sharing information about the profession with others and providing mentorship to students who are interested in speech therapy are things Kim has enjoyed about her career thus far. She has also served as a rehabilitation director in the past, working with and taking on students in their CFY year for certifications. 

Kim has been a Las Vegas resident for 26 years, but originally came from Morton, Illinois - a small town known for being the printing capital of the world! But after college, Kim relocated to Las Vegas for the potential opportunity present versus what she would be able to do in her hometown. Having family in California who worked in business in Las Vegas allowed her to understand the city and make the transition here. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, Kim was welcomed with three job opportunities immediately! 

While Kim enjoys her profession, occupational balance is important, and she makes sure to catch her sons playing basketball at games quite frequently. A caregiver to her mother as well, Kim takes on many roles in the family and devotes much of her time to those she loves. Self-care is an important element to anyone’s life, but sometimes especially therapists, and Kim enjoys working out through incline walking on the treadmill and lifting weights, but also makes time for lounging by the pool. Time is also devoted to her two beloved fur-babies, a British Spaniel and a German Shorthair. 

It is important for Kim to focus on raising her family in the church as a Christian herself, as her religion and church are passions in her life. Her sons are now 18 and 20 years old, and her emphasis on her family living a Christian lifestyle carries over to the families she is able to interact with in therapy. The results she is able to see as she works with families is one of the aspects of her career she loves most - being able to see them grow in good directions in their life. 

Have a question for Kim or want to interact? Send her a message to learn more or contact Tilton’s Therapy for Tots for more info about how to work with Kim! Thank you Kim for your efforts and care for the families throughout Las Vegas and beyond!