Lost in the Stuttering Woods: Ten Years Later

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Does stuttering affect you as a therapist?

From: Joe Klein
Date: 30 Nov 2007
Time: 14:05:14 -0600
Remote Name: 66.195.14.141

Comments

Hi Paulette, Thanks for your kind words and a great question. In fact, it is a question that I would like to address in an article one day. Stuttering myself is a positive and a negative as a therapist. On the positive side, I've been there. I know what it feels like, both from a physical and emotional/attitudinal standpoint. On the negative side, I have to be very careful to realize that my experience is my own experience. I haven't experienced "stuttering," I have experienced "Joe Klein's stuttering." What really helps me may not help someone else, and vice versa. Also, some people are hesitant to recieve therapy from someone who stutters. Heck, if I can't make myself fluent, how can I help them? The old, "Dr. Heal Thyself" line... Now, my therapist -- who was a normally (dis)fluent speaker-- had tremendous experience working with people who stutter, and had been very involved in the National Stuttering Project (now the NSA). So he GOT IT. He really understood what it was like to stutter and how to create change, and it didn't matter whether or not he stuttered. Take care, Joe.


Last changed: 04/08/08