Aphasia Conversation Groups
The overall focus of MnCAN aphasia conversation groups is to encourage and support people with aphasia by forming connections and building communication confidence in a safe environment with others who truly understand aphasia. MnCAN aphasia conversation groups provide social support and access to community involvement for people with aphasia. Participants can relate to each other and support one another because they are all living with aphasia.
MnCAN groups are founded on three approaches to aphasia care:
- The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA Project Group, 2009) has a primary goal to enhance life participation and is based on what is important to each individual person. To learn more, Click Here.
- The Supported Conversation Approach (SCA) (Kagan, Black, Duchan, Simmons-Mackie, Square, 2001) ensures the accurate exchange of information, opinions and feelings. SCA encourages each person to do “whatever works” to help communication. Communication can be a combination of speech, drawing, writing, gesturing, and use of technology. The goal is for the person with aphasia to feel supported and to acknowledge competence of the person with aphasia. To learn more, Click Here.
- Social model of communication focuses on natural interaction with others. Communication is designed for social interaction and the transaction of messages; communication is flexible and dynamic.
Weekly Meetings:
Each group meets for 90 minutes on the same day and time each week. The groups consist of the same 6-7 people with aphasia joining each week which provides an opportunity to really connect.
Conversational topics can include: weather, current events, travel, memories and many more. Each group is unique and different with topics guided by group participants.
Conversation groups are facilitated by speech language pathologists with the support of trained volunteers and/or graduate students in speech-language pathology.
Close friendships develop, everyone supports each other and ultimately the person with aphasia builds communication confidence.
Additional Details:
- Fall and Winter sessions meet for 12 weeks. Summer session meets for 8 weeks.
- Tuition is due with registration. Financial support is available. Tuition for the 12-week sessions is $240; tuition for 8-week session is $160 as of February 2025.
- Groups are either virtual or in-person meetings; we do not offer hybrid groups (i.e. cannot join an in-person meeting virtually).
- Space is limited for the conversation groups to allow maximum communication practice in a small group environment.
- In-person groups meet in community spaces in the Twin Cities area; MnCAN does not have an office location for meetings.
Current Groups and Availability:
- In-person Monday morning group in St. Paul – full
- Virtual Monday afternoon group – full
- In-person Tuesday morning group in Roseville – full
- In-person Tuesday afternoon group in Roseville – full
- In-person Tuesday morning group in Edina – full
- In-person Tuesday afternoon group in Edina – full
- In-person Tuesday afternoon group in Plymouth – full
- Virtual Wednesday morning group – full
- Virtual Thursday morning group – 1 space available
- Virtual Thursday afternoon group – 2 spaces available
- Virtual Friday morning group – full
Please note this list is updated weekly on Mondays and availability is subject to change. If you would like to be placed on a waitlist or have specific questions about groups, please complete the contact form below.
Last updated Monday, March 3, 2025.