Jinan Erchid Bridges Language Gaps Through Compassionate Speech Therapy

Jinan Erchid has built her career as a licensed speech-language pathologist on the belief that communication is a fundamental right, not a privilege. The mother of three boys brings her trilingual background and Arab heritage to her work serving children with communication disorders, creating a practice grounded in cultural sensitivity and deep personal understanding of language barriers.

“Communication is so much more than speech,” Erchid says. “It’s about connection, identity, and empowerment.” 

Her journey into the field began with witnessing a close family member struggle with communication after a stroke. The experience opened her eyes to how something most people take for granted could profoundly impact confidence, relationships, and quality of life.  It also inspired her to learn more about the vital role speech-language pathologists play in restoring communication abilities.

A defining moment occurred during the summer of 2015, when she witnessed firsthand the limited availability of speech-language services for children in the Arab Gulf countries. That experience ignited her commitment to providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care to underserved populations, both in the United States and abroad. The trip reinforced her understanding that communication disorders affect children worldwide, yet access to treatment remains dramatically uneven across different regions and populations.

Jinan Erchid’s Core Values in Patient Care

Erchid’s approach to patient care is guided by three core values that shape how she works with patients and navigates her professional responsibilities: empathy, respect, and a commitment to lifelong learning. These values form the foundation of her practice and influence every aspect of her work.

Empathy allows her to truly understand and connect with her patients’ experiences, challenges, and goals. She recognizes that each person comes to therapy with unique circumstances, fears, and hopes. By approaching each patient with genuine empathy, she can build the trust necessary for effective treatment and create an environment where patients feel safe to take risks in their communication attempts.

Respect informs how she honors each patient’s individuality, cultural background, and personal preferences. “I recognize that no two patients are the same and I tailor my interventions accordingly,” she says. 

Lifelong learning motivates her to stay current with the latest research, techniques, and technologies in speech-language pathology. This commitment to ongoing education ensures that her patients benefit from the most current and effective treatment approaches available.

The combination of these three values creates a practice environment where patients feel understood, respected, and confident that they are receiving high-quality care. 

Meaningful Patient Relationships and Breakthrough Moments

One of Erchid’s most meaningful professional experiences involved working with a young boy diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. When they first met, he was nearly five years old and could only produce a few inconsistent sounds. 

The family felt isolated, often misunderstood by others who didn’t see the bright, funny, thoughtful child behind his speech struggles. Erchid and the boy worked together for over a year, utilizing a combination of motor planning strategies, visual cues, and considerable patience. Progress was slow at first, requiring persistence from both the therapist and the family. 

The breakthrough moment came after months of dedicated effort. During a therapy session, he said “Mommy” clearly and spontaneously without prompting. His mother burst into tears; it was the first time she had heard him say the word without assistance or cuing.

“From that moment, his confidence grew,” Erchid says. “He started engaging more with his peers, participating in class, and finding joy in being able to share his thoughts.”

The experience reinforced for Jinan Erchid why she entered the field and reminded her of the profound ripple effects that effective speech therapy can create. It also illustrated the importance of family involvement in the therapeutic process. The parents’ emotional investment in their son’s progress and their dedication to supporting his therapy contributed significantly to his success. 

Jinan Erchid Balances Her Personal and Professional Lives

Balancing her career as a speech-language pathologist while raising three young boys has been both challenging and deeply rewarding for Erchid. Professionally, she takes great pride in the moments when she has seen patients make breakthroughs. These moments serve as powerful reminders of the importance of her work, motivating her during more challenging periods. 

On a personal level, raising three boys has taught her patience, adaptability, and unconditional love on a whole new level. Watching them grow into compassionate, curious individuals reminds her daily why perseverance and empathy matter, not just in her work, but in life. The lessons learned from parenting have enhanced her effectiveness as a therapist, giving her more profound insights into child development and family dynamics.

Managing both roles has strengthened her time management and resilience, and she takes pride in maintaining that balance while staying present and engaged with her family. The parallel between raising her own children and working with patients has created a deeper understanding of the hopes and fears that parents bring to therapy. When she sees the worry in a parent’s eyes during an initial evaluation, she can relate to their concerns from her own experience as a mother who wants the best for her children.

Strategies for Professional Sustainability

Maintaining balance and well-being while serving others through emotionally demanding work requires intentional strategies that Erchid has developed over the years of practice. She recognizes that self-care is not selfish but essential for providing quality care to others.

First, she prioritizes setting boundaries, both in terms of work hours and emotional availability. She makes a conscious effort to separate her work life from her personal life, allowing her to recharge and be fully present for her family and herself. This separation helps prevent burnout and ensures that she can bring her best self to both roles.

Second, she practices mindfulness and self-reflection, which help her process challenging experiences and stay grounded.

Self-reflection enables her to continually evaluate her practice, learn from complex cases, and identify areas for improvement. It also helps her process the emotional impact of her work in healthy ways, preventing the accumulation of stress that could lead to burnout.

Finally, she relies on a strong support network, including colleagues, friends, and family. This network provides both professional consultation when challenging cases arise and personal support for managing the demands of balancing career and family responsibilities. The importance of peer support in healthcare professions cannot be overstated, as colleagues understand the unique challenges and rewards of the work in ways that others may not.

Jinan Erchid Defines True Success 

For Erchid, success as both a mother and a speech pathologist is defined by the quality of the relationships she nurtures and the positive impact she has on the lives around her. 

As a mother, success means being present and creating a loving environment where her children feel safe to express themselves, make mistakes, and grow into compassionate, confident individuals.

The parallel between her parenting goals and her therapeutic objectives is striking. In both contexts, she strives to create safe spaces for growth, celebrate progress regardless of pace, and build confidence that will serve individuals throughout their lives.

“Ultimately, success for me is about balancing these roles with integrity and heart, embracing both challenges and joys, and continually striving to make a difference, no matter how big or small, in the lives I touch,” she says.

Investing in a Kinder World

Jinan Erchid actively supports Mercy Without Limits, an organization dedicated to helping orphans and vulnerable communities. 

“What draws me to this organization is its focus on orphans and vulnerable communities, those who are often overlooked and underserved,” she says. Their mission to provide not only immediate relief but also long-term support through education, healthcare, and empowerment programs deeply resonates with her values.

The organization works directly on the ground, in some of the world’s most challenging environments, to restore hope and humanity. That kind of hands-on compassion and sustainability is something she believes in deeply.

“Supporting them feels like more than a donation,” she says. “It feels like an investment in a kinder, more just world.” 

Her charitable involvement represents an extension of her professional values into her personal life. The same empathy, cultural awareness, and commitment to serving others that guide her clinical work also inform her community engagement and charitable giving.

Jinan Erchid’s Continuing Mission and Future Vision

Erchid continues to be driven by purpose, grounded in compassion, and committed to being a clinician who not only treats but empowers. The long-term impact of her work extends beyond individual patients to influence families, communities, and potentially the next generation of speech-language pathologists. By modeling culturally responsive practice and demonstrating the importance of serving underserved populations, she contributes to the evolution of the profession itself.

Through individual patient interactions, family support, community engagement, and future international service, Erchid continues working toward a world where communication barriers do not prevent people from accessing the care and connections they need. Her approach demonstrates that meaningful change often begins with individual relationships and small moments of understanding, building toward broader impacts on families and communities.