[ Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Erika Shira
Date: 15 Oct 2008
Time: 12:18:06 -0500
Remote Name: 204.11.150.154
"...determine whether the person's fluency disorder is primarily motoric or psychological in nature. I wanted to find out what methods/procedures you would find useful in making that assessment." Hi, great question. As I've mentioned in a few other threads, I'm of the belief that there's a huge overlap/connection between mind and body, so it wouldn't ever be entirely one or the other. I think this especially makes sense when we toss out any ideas that social/emotional issues need to be stigmatized and just remember that ultimately, our brain is controlling all of our thoughts, feelings, movements, behavior. The distinction I make is more in terms of what the individual identifies as his/her issues. So my assessment would basically be an interview if the person has the cognitive ability and insight to provide this feedback. When s/he doesn't, then I do what I can through observation and discussion using simpler questions (for instance, if the person isn't a big self-reflector, but talks and participates in the arts in a way that indicates a lot of worry and hesitation, then that might be a clue). The approach is then tailored to what the person is identifying or presenting. I think the most important thing is really to respect and align with what the individual is presenting. If we give the impression that, no, I'm the professional, and you're the client, and I know what's really going on with you, then the individual is going to be annoyed and defensive and isn't going to engage with me. I think this is a really important piece in any type of treatment. To pick a super-straightforward example...if I go to a dentist and feel that s/he didn't listen to anything I said during our five minutes of small talk and obtaining medical history, then I'm going to be less excited about following through with recommendations, even though I clearly know that it's a good idea to brush my teeth and go to the dentist regularly. We really do have a lot of power over our clients, and I like to try to use this to everyone's advantage.