Communication Sciences and Disorders

Biography

Dr. Gunter earned the B.A. degree (with honors) in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the M.A. degree in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of Memphis.. She then completed a Clinical Fellowship in Childhood Aphasia at The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center-Memphis. She then earned the Ph.D. degree in Communication Sciences from The University of Texas-Austin. Prior to her appointment at West Chester University, she held an appointment as Assistant Professor and Clinic Coordinator, then an appointment as Associate Professor (with tenure) and Clinic Coordinator at Iowa State University-Ames. In addition, she was named a Fulbright Scholar and, with support from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, held a one-year appointment as a visiting professor in the Institute of Health Care at The University of Malta. While her clinical interests have centered on the diagnostic process, Dr. Gunter has also instructed on various dimensions of typical and atypical communication and has pursued her scholarly interest in clinical practice and clinical education issues. Dr. Gunter has maintained an active consultation practice in which she has provided diagnostic services across a variety of clinical practice sites, as well as communication enhancement services to individuals with communication differences who are interested in improvement of personal and professional communication skills. Dr. Gunter has been a leader in state and national level professional associations as an officer and a publication editor. She served on the Executive Boards for the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA) and the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) and was Editor of the PSHA Journal. She also served on the state Executive Board for one other professional association.  She also served on the national Steering Committee for SIG 11 (Clinical Administration and Clinical Supervision) and was Editor of the SIG 11 publication, Perspectives on Administration and Supervision. She also served on the national Executive Board for two other professional associations. 

 

Education

Dr. Gunter earned the B.A. degree (with honors) in Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Tennessee – Knoxville and the M.A. degree in Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Memphis. She then completed a Clinical Fellowship in Childhood Aphasia at The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center – Memphis. She then earned the Ph.D. degree in Communication Sciences at The University of Texas – Austin. Prior to her appointment at West Chester University, she held an appointment as Assistant Professor/Clinic Coordinator, then as Associate Professor (tenured)/Clinic Coordinator at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. She also held a one-year appointment as a Fulbright Scholar at the Institute of Health Care at The University of Malta. Prior experience also included her position as a Speech-Language Pathologist at Austin State Psychiatric Hospital, TX, and her position as a Tutor at DeNeuville School for Girls (associated with the Convent of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd), Memphis, TN. Dr. Gunter is presently Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at West Chester University, Chairperson of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Professor within the interdisciplinary Program in Linguistics at West Chester University.

Courses

Undergraduate

Course Number	Course Name
CSD 101	Introduction to Communicative Disorders
CSD 166/266/366	Clinical Seminars in Communicative Disorders
CSD 204	Speech and Language Development
CSD 206/306	Articulation Disorders and Clinical Phonology
CSD 207	Phonetics
CSD 240/340	Development and Disorders of Language
CSD 329	Speech and Voice Disorders
CSD 350	Clinical Principles
CSD 410	Independent Study
CSD 451	Clinical Practicum

Graduate

Course Number	Course Name
SLP 501	Foundations of Research
SLP 526	Articulation and Phonological Disorders
SLP 551	Clinical Practicum (SLP Dx Clinic)
SLP 551	(SLP Tx Clinic)
SLP 552	Clinical Practicum (Affiliation-Medical)
SLP 553	Clinical Practicum (Affiliation-Educational)
SLP 560	Seminar in Counseling
SLP 560	Seminar in Advanced Diagnostics
SLP 560	Seminar in Alternative and Augmentative Communication
SLP 560	Seminar in Accent Modification and Multicultural Communication
SLP 560	Seminar in Developmental Apraxia of Speech
SLP 560	Seminar in Oromyofunctional Disorders
SLP 580	Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies
SLP 610	Thesis

Courses Instructed: Other

Salus University:

AU 725, Speech and Language Development and Disorders.

Iowa State University:

UnSt 321, Honors Seminar. SpCm 101, Introduction to Communication. SpCm 212, Fundamentals of Public Speaking. CmDis 170, Speech Improvement for Non-Native Speakers. CmDis 271, Phonetics. CmDis 275, Introduction to Communication Disorders. CmDis 290, Special Projects. CmDis 376, Articulation and Phonological Disorders. CmDis 379, Clinical Methods in Communication Disorders. CmDis 471, Language Development. CmDis 479, Clinical Practicum in Communication Disorders. CmDis 480, Language Disorders in Children and Adolescents. CmDis 490, Independent Study. CmDis 590, Special Projects.

The University of Malta:

LP11, Specific Language Disorders in Children. LP17, Communication Disorders in Older Adults. LP20, Augmentative and Alternative Communication. LP21, Professional Ethics. LP27, Clinical Evaluation. LP 30, Treatment Efficacy. LG15, Language Development. LG21, Clinical Linguistics: Syntax. LG22, Clinical Linguistics: Phonology.

Research

At present, Dr. Gunter has three primary scholarly interests. In one aspect of her scholarship, she addresses issues related to clinical education, with specific attention to how clinical students, fellows, practitioners, instructors, and administrators develop as critical thinkers in each dimension of the clinical service delivery continuum. Then, in another aspect of her scholarship, she addresses issues related to the evaluation of language, with specific attention to enhancement of the reliability and validity of methods to describe aspects of language pragmatics. In another aspect of her scholarship, she explores the scholar-practitioner model for clinical practice and its implications for clinical education and clinical service delivery, as well as for professional development for speech-language pathologists. Dr. Gunter particularly welcomes opportunities to mentor students as they develop their ideas for research.

Certifications/Awards/Presentations

Awards & Grants

Student Honors

As a student, Dr. Gunter received various academic honors, some of which are included here.Secondary:Accomplishments included Senior Class Valedictorian, D.A.R. Citizenship Medalist, Cheerleader, Yearbook Editor, and Student Body Officer.. Honors also included selection for multiple 4-H Club honors, which included 4-H Honor Club (county-level honor society), 4-H All-Stars (district-level honor), and 4-H Vol State Award (state-level honor). University:Honors included selection for multiple academic honor societies – which included Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi – as well as inclusion in “Who’s Who Among Students in America’s Colleges and Universities.” Honors also included selection for multiple undergraduate and graduate scholarships and fellowships, as well as for multiple scholarship, leadership, and service citations.

Professional Honors

Instruction: To date, Dr. Gunter has been honored with 15 teaching awards. These have included awards from the College of Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, and the College of Health Sciences, West Chester University, as well as from other bodies within both universities.

Advisement: From the Dean of Students, Iowa State University, Dr. Gunter received the “Distinguished Service Award” for student association advisement. And, from the National Executive Board of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association, she received the national “Advisor Honors,” also for student association advisement. In 2015, she received an "Advisor Appreciation Citation" from West Chester University.

Clinical Practice: In addition to her awards for on-campus instruction, Dr. Gunter has been honored for her off-campus consultation that has been a central part of her clinical practice. Included in her awards was the “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association for her community education and consultation contributions.

Service: As an alumna of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, Dr. Gunter has been honored for her contributions to Panhellenic and Sorority aims. She received the “International Loyalty Award” and was named to the “International Service Roll” and “International Merit Roll” of Gamma Phi Beta. She also received the “Editor’s Award” for her scholarly contributions toThe Crescent,the periodical of Gamma Phi Beta. In addition to these international awards, she also received the local “IIKE Award” from the Ames, Iowa, Alumnae Chapter, and was selected as “Greek Woman of the Year – Alumnae” for Iowa State University and Central Iowa. More recently (2011), at their Annual Luncheon, the Philadelphia Area Alumnae Panhellenic Association named her the “Greek Woman of the Year - Alumnae” for the Greater Philadelphia Area. As an alumna of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, Dr. Gunter has served in diverse roles. In her 17 years of service (1995-2012) as International Historian, she authored the sorority history book, "The Legacy of Gamma Phi Beta," as well as the history articles series for the sorority periodical and history-themed materials for many seminars and workshops. She presented over 80 times to Greek-Letter Associations across the country on the topics of sorority and fraternity history and historic presentation and consulted widely with both Greek-Letter and Alumnae Chapters interested in the preservation of their stories and memorabilia. She also a served in multiple other positions, which included Alumnae PACE Chairwoman, Province Alumnae Director (to coordinate Alumnae Chapters in Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa), Alumnae Chapter President, Greek-Letter Chapter Advisor (Member Education, New Member, Scholarship), State Recommendations Chairwoman, and Area Recommendations Chairwoman. In addition to this service, Dr. Gunter has also been named to “Who’s Who among Collegiate Faculty,” “Who’s Who among Human Services Professionals, ““Who’s Who of American Women, and “Who’s Who in America.”

Fulbright and Other Grants

Dr. Gunter was named a Fulbright Scholar and, with the support of an award from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), completed an appointment in the Institute of Health Care at The University of Malta. She subsequently completed a short-term appointment at this institution. To date, she has received 12 additional grants to support her scholarly interests.

Presentations

To date, Dr. Gunter has authored or co-authored over 90 academic conference presentations. These have included over 30 seminars and over 60 technical or poster sessions. A list of citations is available by request.

Other Scholarship

Dr. Gunter has served as a Technical Specialist for the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) to review Fulbright Scholar applications. She has also served as a reviewer for grant proposals for the Iowa Academy of Science, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, the United States Department of Education, and multiple other agencies. In addition to these roles, Dr. Gunter has served as a reviewer for session proposals for multiple professional conferences, as well as a reviewer of manuscripts for multiple academic journals and a reviewer of proposals for multiple textbook publishers. She also served a five-year term as the Editor of the PSHA Journal, the annual scholarly publication of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Publications

• To date, Dr. Gunter has authored or co-authored over 50 scholarly publications. These have included three books, as well as chapters in academic books, instructional materials in academic books, articles in academic journals, articles in association periodicals, and reviews. She has also been noted in 15 media citations and interviews. A list of citations is available by request.
• Book Citations:
• Gunter, C. D. (2002). Love, labor, learning, loyalty:the legacy of Gamma Phi Beta. Englewood, CO: Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
• Gunter, C. D. and Koenig, M.A. (2010). Communication development and disorders for partners in service. San Diego, CA: Plural Publications.
• Gunter, C. D. and LeJeune, J. B. (2015). Critical thinking in clinical practice in speech-language pathology. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt Publishers.

Clinical Practice & Credentials

 

Clinical Credentials

Dr. Gunter presently holds the License in Speech-Language Pathology, Number SL005983L, issued from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State, as well as the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, Number 00672576, issued from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Clinical Practice

Dr. Gunter has practiced as a speech-language pathologist in a state psychiatric hospital, a community medical center, multiple university-based clinics, multiple educational facilities, and a home-based private practice. She has received considerable joy from every opportunity to enhance the lives of those whom she has served clinically. She has particularly enjoyed opportunities to provide diagnostic services, particularly for those for whom the determination of the most appropriate speech-language diagnosis has been a challenge. She has also particularly enjoyed opportunities to work with patients and their families to formulate the most appropriate recommendations and methods for treatment. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Gunter has maintained an active consultation practice. Professional consultation has included presentation of over 400 seminars, in-service classes, and exhibits, as well as professional consultation with over 100 individual and corporate entities. Locations have included clinician professional education sessions; teacher association sessions; primary, secondary, and university-level schools; civic and charitable associations; churches and other spiritual associations; child care centers; and student association sessions. Audiences have included clinicians in communication disorders and other health care disciplines; elementary, secondary, and university educators; child care providers; families and friends of patients with communication disorders; classroom students; and church staff members and volunteers. Areas of instruction have included models of clinical service delivery; models and methods of clinical instruction; normal communication; adult-child interaction; causes, traits, effects, evaluation, and treatment methods across communication disorders; issues related to communication differences and disabilities; various resources and referral methods; communication enhancement and professional development; and issues of interest to students.

Professional Associations

Dr. Gunter is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Within ASHA, she has been a leader in ASHA SIG 11 (Administration and Supervision), which she served as a member of the national Steering Committee and Editor of “Perspectives on Administration and Supervision,” the publication of the SIG. Dr. Gunter has also been a leader in two ASHA-related professional associations. For the ASHA-related Council of Supervisors in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, she served as a member of the national Steering Committee and Editor of “Supervision.” For the ASHA-related International Association, she served as a member of the national Executive Board (as President) and Editor of “ASHA in the World.” Dr. Gunter is also a member of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA), for which she served for nine years as Vice-President for Publications and editor of “The Keystater,” the periodical of the association, and the recently (2010) revived PSHA Journal. In addition to this service as a PSHA Executive Board member, she also served the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA) and the Iowa Rehabilitation Technology Alliance (IRTA) as an Executive Board member. Dr. Gunter is also a member of the National Communication Association and the Fulbright Association.

Other: The Professor as a Person

Dr. Gunter loves to travel. To date, she has visited each of the 50 states, as well as various international destinations:Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ireland, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Vatican City, Turkey, Greece, Tunisia, and last - but most definitely not least - her very favorite collection of islands in the world and home to some of the most hospitable people in the world, Malta.Dr. Gunter also loves music and has served as an afterschool piano teacher for adults who always wanted to learn the basics, a Church Pianist, and Children’s Church Choir Director and Accompanist, as well as a Gospel Choir Accompanist. She also loves to be creative in a variety of other ways, and she has won over 400 ribbons – at such venues as the Iowa State Fair, All-Iowa Fair, Maryland State Fair, Delaware State Fair, Allentown Fair, and York Fair (and others) - for her candies (with her original fudge recipes), other foods (such as her gourmet sandwiches), and her arts and crafts (such as her crochet, cross-stitch, and macramé). In the past few years, she has started to branch out into baked items such as cookies, muffins, and scones ans has had some success with those at fairs, as well. Dr. Gunter loves to read and is rarely without a book as she aims to complete at least two books for pleasure each week. Her favorites are cozy fun-themed paperback murder mysteries, but she also enjoys such diverse authors as Anthony Campolo, the late Michael Palmer, and Richard Stearns. She is also a devoted follower of “Top Chef” and “Project Runway,” among several other “must-see” t.v. shows (which definitely include "The Big Bang Theory," as is appropriate for someone married to a physicist) – as well as an unashamed Trekker who reminds friends that, "She is from outer space; she only worked in Iowa." (Trekkers will know what that means . . . and will know exactly where Riverside, Iowa, home to Captain Kirk's annual Birthday Party, is located.) She loves moose, lighthouses, and covered bridges.

These and other interests have been the sources of considerable joy for Dr. Gunter. However, she considers her Christian faith to be the essence of who she is and the source of her values, her moral standards for her attitudes and actions, her framework for the interpretation of every dimension of her life, her inspiration and motivation for her personal and professional pursuits, and her source of grace and forgiveness in her failures. Her daily walk of discipleship is her clear priority as she seeks to live in a way that honors and serves her Lord. She has treasured the role of her family in her faith development, as they introduced her to the faith very early in her life, as well as the influence of her father's Methodist tradition, her mother's Baptist tradition, and her stepmother's Presbyterian tradition on her sense of worship and service. As part of her faith development, she has served her church in various ways. She and her husband are presently active members of Marple Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Broomall, PA, where she serves as an Elder, member of the Christian Women's Fellowship, and Church Board Vice-Chair.. Previously, in her local church in Upper Darby, she coordinated the Altar Guild, created a church archives, written the church history for the 85th Anniversary of the church, led various Bible study classes, and participated in various social service ministries to address the needs of members of the community. Previously, in Iowa, at her church (Christian Church-Disciples of Christ), she held such roles as Elder (and Chair of Board of Elders), Deacon, Church School Teacher, and Church Board Member (as chair of various church committees). She also represented the Disciples of Christ as a member of the local-level United Christian Campus Ministries Board and as member/chair of the state-level United Christian Campus Ministries Board that coordinated ecumenical ministries at the public universities in Iowa. Her inspiration for her personal aim to honor God and serve others in every dimension of her life has come from these words: "And He increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor." (The Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 2). Her inspiration for her professional aims has come from these words: ". . . They brought to Him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly . . . They were astounded beyond measure, saying, 'He has done everything well; He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." (The Gospel of St. Mark, Chapter 7). And, both personally and professionally, she is inspired by, ". . . Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me." (The Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 25).

Dr. Gunter and her husband, Paul Rabe - B.A. (with honors) in Plasma Physics from The University of California – Berkeley (Go Bears, Beat Stanford) and M.A. in Plasma Physics from The University of Texas - Austin – live in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Her husband has a heartfelt concern for those in need, particularly those who experience hunger, and devotes his volunteer time to ministries that address this need, such as Philabundance (with a weekly food distribution in Upper Darby), the Eastern Delaware County Life Center, and the Upper Darby Food Shelf. He also has a profound love for the outdoors and is now in pursuit of his dream to hike the entire Appalachian Trail . . . and anyone interested can follow him by his trail name, “Golden Bear.” As of today, he has trekked over 1300 miles - more than half of the 2200 mile total distance of the trail - toward this cherished dream and continues to add miles as a section hiker whenever weather and time allow. A dedicated Christian and a devoted student of the Bible, he has led the Adult Bible Study Class at their local church in Upper Darby (and, in fact, they met each other at a Bible Study Class at their church in Texas). He has worked professionally as a physicist, a technology program coordinator for the Des Moines Area Community College, and a technology specialist for the State of Iowa, as well as with a computer firm in the Upper Darby area. To see what he looks like, check out the photos on Dr. Gunter’s desk. Every day they thank God for the many ways they are blessed and the many happy memories that they have.

Dr. Gunter welcomes visitors to her office on Carter Drive. Be sure to check out "Smokey," "Pouncer," and "Hook 'Em" on the bookshelves, “Cy” on the sofa, and "Oski" and “Rammy” (actually, three different versions of Rammy) on her desk. Dr. Gunter has nothing if not school spirit! (Oh, by the way, Swoop and the Phanatic also live in her office.) Thank you for your visit to her web site biography.