02.02.2026

Neuropsychology and speech and language therapy: everything you need to know about outpatient care

Communication and memory disorders can significantly impair everyday life, independence, and quality of life. Two specialist areas are dedicated to diagnosis, treatment, and support in these areas: neuropsychology and speech therapy. Both disciplines work closely together to help patients maintain or regain their cognitive and linguistic abilities through individually tailored therapies.

We explain how these treatments are carried out on an outpatient basis, who they are suitable for, and how the costs are covered.

Understanding the medical disciplines

What is neuropsychology and what is its purpose?

Neuropsychology studies the relationships between brain function and behavior, emotions, and cognitive abilities such as attention, memory, language, executive functions, and visuospatial abilities.

What is speech therapy, and what is its purpose?

Speech therapy is a paramedical discipline that assesses, prevents and treats difficulties with communication (in spoken and written language, articulation and voice). The main goal of speech therapy is to improve patients' quality of life by facilitating more effective verbal communication. Speech and language therapists can also assess, prevent and treat swallowing difficulties to make mealtimes safer and easier.

The objective of these two disciplines is to assess cognitive functions and communication using standardized tests supplemented by clinical observations to identify any disorders, to re-educate and rehabilitate impaired functions through tailored programs, and to support patients, their families, and healthcare teams in understanding the difficulties and implementing compensatory strategies.

In what ways are these two disciplines complementary?

Both neuropsychology and speech therapy provide insight into how patients behave and adapt in everyday communication situations. Working together, the two disciplines aim to improve understanding of the origin of difficulties and provide consistent, targeted care.

Indications

When should you consult a neuropsychologist or speech therapist?

You can arrange a consultation as soon as the difficulties begin to impact your everyday life, whether at work, socially, or during leisure activities. However, it is advisable to seek specialist medical advice beforehand from a neurologist, general practitioner or ENT specialist, depending on the nature of the difficulties.

A neuropsychological consultation may also be necessary to help diagnose a neurological condition as part of a series of additional tests.

Do you treat patients on an outpatient basis?

We primarily treat patients with neurological, psychiatric and/or neurodevelopmental disorders. Speech therapy can also address issues related to ENT problems.

We organise neuropsychological diagnostic consultations for children aged 10 and over, as well as young adults and adults. We only see adult patients for speech therapy.

Outpatient appointments are available at the Valmont Clinic and the Montreux and Montchoisi Physical and Cognitive Therapy Centre. We also offer home visits for speech therapy to people living in the municipality of Montreux.

Treatment options

What treatment options are available?

Our treatment begins with an assessment to obtain a detailed clinical profile of the difficulties. This will inform the determination of the therapeutic objectives. We then provide a variety of exercises involving different types of equipment to help train impaired functions, with the aim of restoring them or slowing down any adverse progression. Some exercises also help patients to adapt to their difficulties, enabling them to maintain the best possible quality of life.

How are therapeutic objectives defined with the patient?

These are determined based on the results of the initial assessment, which highlights specific difficulties and their impact on daily life. These objectives are specifically tailored to address the patient's particular issues. The general goal is to reduce or compensate for the difficulties.

Practical questions

How can I benefit from this?

All enquiries can be directed to neurologo@cliniquevalmont.ch.

Is this covered by basic insurance?

Basic health insurance covers speech therapy and neuropsychology, provided you have a medical prescription.

What are the waiting times?

For outpatient speech therapy, there may be a wait of up to a few weeks, but we can usually offer an initial appointment fairly quickly to assess the situation and take note of the patient's requirements.

The wait for an initial neuropsychology consultation appointment is approximately three months.

Our experts

Céline Butler

Céline Butler is the head of the neuropsychology and speech therapy department at Clinique Valmont. A neuropsychologist by training, she joined the clinic in 2021, taking over as head of the department in 2024. She brings her clinical expertise and leadership skills to the team.

Prior to moving to Switzerland, she practised as a neuropsychologist in France, notably in Réunion, and also worked as a university professor, further enriching her professional experience with solid academic training.

CV

Florence Dumoulin

Florence Dumoulin is a speech and language therapist and the deputy head of the Speech Therapy and Neuropsychology Department at Clinique Valmont, where she has worked since 2018. She holds a Master's degree in Speech Therapy from the University of Geneva and specialises in treating adults with language, speech, voice and swallowing disorders.

CV

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