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From: Jennifer Kugielska
Date: 01 Oct 2008
Time: 10:49:50 -0500
Remote Name: 68.237.83.116
I thought that this was a great way to illustrate how there are positive and negative aspects of having a stuttering fluency therapist. I think that in one aspect it's great because you really feel like you can relate to the client, and can put yourself in their shoes, which can essentially build a rapport. However, I like how it was noted that sometimes having a therapist who stutters may take away from the session because you find yourself saying "yes that happened to me one time when..." Either way I feel that building a relationship that includes trust, and adhering to the wants, needs, and expectations of the client is the most vital advice that one can give to a speech therapist. In a graduate course at CUNY Brooklyn College, we were discussing how empathy is one of the key concepts to understand and practice during therapy with a client who stutters, which was mentioned in this article as well. I feel that one does not need to stutter themselves in order to show or feel empathy for their client. I am not a PWS, however, after completing a voluntary stuttering project, I can definitely understand the emotions that a PWS feels, and can contribute empathetic guidance.