Starbucks Treats for Therapy

At the beginning of therapy services with RWW home and community, Ms. Timani’s team of therapists found out just how much she LOVES her Starbucks coffee treats! So, at the beginning of her community outings, that was the one place she would agree to go.

Therapy would plan other outings with her but each time she would ask to include a stop by Starbucks on the way to, or on the way back. Including these stops to get her favorite treat gave Ms. Timani good practice for learning how to maneuver on her phone, get to the app to order, pay, and walk inside to pick up the order. Later, it helped to work on communication to verbally place an order at the store. Seeing Ms. Timani go from not being able to verbalize what she wanted to say to now being able to communicate her wants and needs (including Starbucks, which she would say is a “need”) has been nothing short of miraculous!

Clinical Coordinator Tiffany Wright recently told Ms. Timani she should work on writing a letter to Starbucks letting them know how much she loves going, loves her drinks, and how they played a large part in her recovery journey in therapy. She immediately agreed! So, Ms. Timani and her speech therapist worked together to construct the words and sentences she wanted to share and together they completed the letter.

In June 2024, she and her therapists went to Starbucks and gave them the letter. The staff at Starbucks were all so friendly and surprised her with a free drink. The staff were so touched that they are sending her letter to their manager. Taking her out to Starbucks was the link to build rapport with her therapists, build her confidence in the community, addressed mobility, cognition, and communication, and brought many smiles to her difficult days!