Episode 03 - Binh Doan | Pearson Clinical AU&NZ

Binh Doan overcame his own language barriers. Now he helps others to conquer theirs

In this episode of Moments in Mind, speech pathologist Binh Doan recalls being a young stranger in a foreign land and how that still inspires him in his work today. From children with speech and language disorders to adult immigrants seeking to improve their English communication skills, Binh’s empathetic approach shines through.

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This article contains edited excerpts from the podcast. To hear the full episode, click on the audio player above or listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. A full written transcript of the podcast is available here.

Andy McLean: Tell me Binh, how did your childhood experiences influence your career path?

Binh Doan: My earliest memory is of living in Ho Chi Minh city and being picked up from kindergarten by my auntie and being piggybacked to my parents’ factory. There were about 100 workers there, and I just loved it. The noise from the factory. The chit-chat. I learned such a lot from talking to people at the factory after school. I never went home to do my homework – I preferred chatting with my parents, with their workers, and my aunties and uncles there. That was my first exposure to running a business.

Andy McLean: And then, aged 15, you moved to Australia with only six months of English language preparation?

Binh Doan: Yes, I was thrown in at the deep end. I expected to just walk into a school environment and thrive, but I couldn’t understand a lot of what was being said in the classroom. And I was living with a host family where I didn’t understand so many of the conversations. When jokes were told at the dinner table, I just laughed along even though I didn’t know what people were saying.

Andy: Of course, these days you’re working with people who have challenges around language and speech. How did your early experiences in Australia inform your work today?

Binh: Great question, Andy. I know firsthand what it’s like to sit in a classroom and not understand what’s expected of you – I felt like an outsider when I first arrived in Australia, to be honest – so I have a lot of empathy for my clients when they’re feeling frustrated or self-conscious due to language barriers. Because of my experiences, I’m able to meet my clients where they’re at. My empathy is crucial in building the rapport and trust needed to help clients make meaningful progress.

Andy: What role do standardised assessments play in your approach?

Binh: I liken standardised assessments to working with a personal trainer at the gym — they provide an objective baseline to determine a client's current skills and track their progress over time. Regular reassessments are so important for getting a reliable indication of where a client is at, right from the start. After that, assessments are invaluable for measuring improvement and informing a therapy plan, rather than relying solely on subjective observations.

Andy: How do you keep your clients motivated and engaged?

Binh: It’s all about building a strong rapport with my clients and their families. Getting to know them. Building a connection with kids and their family. I prefer to have parents sit in on therapy sessions because, that way, I can transfer my knowledge to them and they can continue the therapy work at home with short, consistent practice sessions. I also incorporate mindfulness and breathing exercises to help clients, especially children, manage their emotions and stay calm during sessions.

Andy: Tell me about a memorable client who you’ve worked with during your career.

Binh: There are so many. One standout was a child diagnosed with dyslexia who, after years of intensive therapy, graduated from high school and then went on to university. I feel so proud of them and I know how hard they worked to achieve that.

Andy: As well as working with children, you also work with professionals seeking to improve their English, correct?

Binh: Yes, we work with professionals from overseas for whom English is their second language. Most of these clients are quite young so they remind me of myself when I first arrived in Australia. Many of them are degree-qualified but they’re finding it hard to secure a job because of communication hurdles so we use standardised assessments to pinpoint all the areas they need to work on, and to create an individualised program of accent reduction for them. It can take time. Some of them are too afraid to even speak on the phone when they first come to us, but by the time they leave us they’ve made such progress and some even get promoted at work.