About Me

I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist in the North Chicago area, specializing in home visits for families of children under 3 years old, with a passion for working with language and finding practical solutions to improve the everyday lives of families and individuals.

I moved to Chicago in 2020, and attended graduate school at Northwestern University during the COVID-19 pandemic. My lovely neighborhood in the Northside has been a warm home since my arriving, and I plan to remain in the Chicago area indefinitely.  

My previous speech-langauge pathology work involved serving a variety of populations while working for non-profit that focused on communication justice in the Greater Chicago Area. I provided on-site therapy and coaching for children under 3 and their families through the early intervention system; worked with school-aged children in CPS charter schools, most often high schoolers and junior high students; provided telehealth and in-clinic therapy for children and teens of a variety of ages; co-lead a summer program to help adults with disabilities develop social language and executive functioning skills; helped run a pre-literacy program for young children under 5; and had the privilege of working with individuals and families to develop a variety of skills that would support their goals.

In my life before becoming a full-time student and later an SLP (speech-language pathologist), I held a number of jobs, with my most recent ones centered in work within the health care industry at Pittsburgh-based call centers. I worked as a "Senior Resolution Specialist" for CVS Caremark Pharmacy Benefits Management, which meant that I helped coworkers solve problems regarding customers' pharmacy benefits, prices, and orders; and I spoke with customers who had requested a supervisor due to an upsetting issue, or a complicated, on-going problem with their medication orders or benefits. Prior to that, I was a licensed health insurance agent in the state of Pennsylvania, and I helped callers sign up for health insurance through Medicare Advantage plans or through the Affordable Care Act ("Obama Care") Marketplace. Along with my conscientious coworkers, I valued finding real answers to callers' questions, making sure they had all the information they needed to determine the best plan for them, and worked to explain the complications of our American health care system as best as I could to those trying to navigate it. I also had experience reviewing medical claims to inform providers why they had been denied. I am not currently a licensed health care agent in Illinois or any state, but I empathize with all those who are frustrated and exhausted as they try to find answers and get the best care for themselves and their families, and will offer what I can of what I know to help with that process. 

Apart from my health insurance background, my other call center endeavors involved: Megabus ticket customer service, Satellite internet, Magazine subscriptions, Pre-school tour scheduling, Medical wellness surveys, Scheduling doctors appointments, Data breach notifications, Registering credit card users, and so much more! All-together, I worked in call centers for about 7 years before entering college full-time, and eventually moving to Chicago for grad school. Other previous job experience includes: Pizza shop cook/waitress, Burger King worker, Hair stylist, Entertainments staffer (inflatables, cotton candy & popcorn), Sears photographer, Sears furniture salesperson, Ski resort rentals technician and supervisor, and various office administration jobs during summers as a teenager. 

I am thankful to have a rich depth of experiences, and even more thankful to have found a career in which I can use so many of the skills and talents I have developed along with my passion for helping others and exploring language and communication. My business name is dedicated to my best friend, Amy, whose entrance into higher education at the age of 51 inspired me to finally let go of my anxieties about student loans and invest in my own further education. We worked together at a call center, and sometimes I would help her practice pronouncing difficult medical terms like "bletheroplasty", and she said that she should hire me to be her speech coach. When I decided that studying language was something that I could find long-term joy in, and began researching related careers, I realized how right she was. Thank you, Amy. I love you. 

  - Irina