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From: Charlie Healey
Date: 08 Oct 2008
Time: 09:57:24 -0500
Remote Name: 129.93.99.57
Hi Jackie: Thanks for your post. Having a client deny that he/she doesn't have any fears for various situations is not that uncommon. I think it reflects that he might be saying that he enjoys talking on the phone so you won't address one of his biggest fears in therapy. This might be tricky to manage as you want him to address his feelings, fears, and avoidance behaviors but you can't force him to do so. I think I would go with an indirect approach and say that it is curious that he likes talking on the phone considering most people who stutter say the phone is one of the most feared, difficult speaking situations they encounter. I might say, "I wonder why it is easy for you and that doesn't give you any problem?" or "Tell me why talking on the phone is such a pleasant experience." You can also ask if he orders food at a restaurant for himself or does he have his parents do it for him. Does he raise his hand in class to answer questions or does he have any fear of being called on for an answer and never worries about stuttering in front of other kids. He will probably realize that you can ask others about what they see him doing, not to catch him in a fib but more to help you understand why his parents would say that he seems to fear the phone or his teachers have concerns about him not asking questions in class. You might want to gradually chip away at the walls he has built up to protect himself from dealing with something that is very fearful and painful. I would talk through what other people who stutter say and do when they work through fears. Maybe if he sees that others have the same fears as he does, he won't be so defensive or be in denial. I think it will take time to work through this so be patient and keep emphasizing that it's okay to be afraid to stutter in various situations and share that you might have fears yourself. Sometimes PWS think they are the only ones that get afraid or fear talking in front of strangers or don't like talking on the phone. Many normally fluent speakers have those fears. Also, talk about something that he might fear that is not on the questionnaire that you gave him and see why that might be a feared situation or why it wouldn't be. Some day he will realize that avoidance will continue to block improvements in his stuttering and I tell adults who stutter that the first thing they need to work on is preventing avoidance to talk with anyone at anyplace at anytime. All of this is not easy to change. Good luck with your client and hopefully, my suggestions have been helpful.