Maria Yakos, MHS, CCC-SLP
Maria Yakos is the owner and Executive Director of Yakos Therapy. Maria is a bilingual speech-language pathologist fluent in Spanish and English. She was born in Matanzas, Cuba, and immigrated with her parents to the United States when she was three years old. She brings a wealth of life experience to her clinical practice as a dedicated and compassionate therapist.
She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Psychology and continued her studies at Governors State University where she earned a Masters in Health Sciences in Communication Disorders. She has earned a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).
She has been recognized as:
- Member of the Illinois Speech Hearing Association (ISHA) Bilingual Speech-Language and Evidence Based Practice
- Member of The American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology (APPSPA)
- Illinois Speech Hearing Association Leadership Development Graduate 2020
- Preferred Provider through Apraxia Kids
- As a 6 year award recipient for ACE (Award for Continuing Education/ASHA)
Maria has completed training in:
- PROMPT Level 1,
- SOS (Sequential-Oral-Sensory) Feeding,
- PECS
- DTTC (Dynamic Tactile and Temporal Cueing),
- Bilingual Assessment Best Practices to name a few.
Let’s Work Together
or contact us at office@yakostherapy.com
Mission
Our mission is to provide evidenced based, family centered and culturally sensitive therapy to ensure the highest quality services for all.
Promise to Do Our Best – We believe parents are doing the best they can. People do the best they can with the knowledge they have available. When we do the best we know to do and match it with a parent’s desire to do their best for their child, the results of our efforts are multiplied.
Values
Authenticity – We believe each child is a unique individual and strive to work to develop skills but not conformity. We know our therapists have many options in areas to develop their skills, thus we allow self discovery through practice and learning.
Cultivating Potential – Our company invests back in those we serve by purchasing up to date materials and best practice methods for each individual. We believe investing in time and resources by allowing collaborative discussions and planning make our team unique and highly effective.
Joyfulness – We believe learning takes place when having fun. We allow our therapists to use their interests to develop unique play routines that promote learning in therapy.
Vulnerability – When an individual comes to us, we understand they are in a vulnerable place of needing help, and they are aware of their challenges. We allow ourselves to be open and vulnerable with families by presenting information and problem solving together knowing it takes courage to face our own imperfections and allow vulnerability.
Mindfulness – We are present in our sessions and give our full attention during our time with each other and the families we serve. We enjoy the process of learning what motivates and interests each individual.
Curiosity – We are curious about the process of evaluation and treatment. We choose to learn rather than know. We accept the possibility that in learning we may require change and growth. We invest in learning and are willing to pay the price to provide best services for each individual.
Value – We believe that as individual therapist our time and services have value.
Integrity – We choose courage to practice our values rather than just professing them. We know we may not be able to maintain relationships that require compromise of our company values. We believe compassionate people strive to establish an atmosphere where they can be most effective by setting boundaries.