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From: Charlie Healey
Date: 11 Oct 2008
Time: 09:48:11 -0500
Remote Name: 76.84.69.211
The question about group therapy is a good one and something that I didn't talk about in any of the principles. I prefer individual therapy if at all possible because the clinician can focus on the individual's unique needs. Relative to Principle #1, no two people who stutter are alike so I think it is difficult to address each person's needs in a group therapy setting. However, this only applies when a number of factors related to stuttering need to be addressed. That is not to say that if you had a group of children, each one of them could work on a different fluency or stuttering modification skill while the others watch and listen to how that child is performing. In some cases, it might be instructive to the other children to see and hear what another child who stutters is doing and how well he can or cannot execute the skill, improve thoughts and feelings, and use the skills outside of therapy. For adults, group therapy can work well because there can more discussion of cognitive and affective issues that children have a difficult time talking about. In short, group therapy has a place in the overall plan for management and support groups are also a key component to this as well. However, if I had a choice, which sometimes clinicians in the school setting do not, I would prefer individual therapy but would opt for a group approach if individual therapy wasn't an option. One final thought on group therapy...I think that grouping a child who stutters with children with certain types of communication disorders can be inhibit a child's progress if care is not taken in selecting appropriate group members with the child who stutters. Thanks for reading my article and asking a great question!