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From: David Shapiro
Date: 05 Oct 2011
Time: 16:58:20 -0500
Remote Name: 152.30.155.29
Hi Lindsey, You’re asking a great question. I see that others have given you some excellent advice. Here’s another idea. I have found with people who stutter, and particularly with teens, that nothing is as motivating as success itself. In fact, success begets success. I believe it is the clinician’s responsibility to construct opportunities for (and later with, and eventually by) the client so that the client experiences fluency success. No words from a clinician can be as motivating as what the client experiences for him/herself. Many clients have had years of treatment and have become skeptical if not jaded. You might want to take a look at my paper on this forum (Stories of People who Stutter), and particularly the experiences of George. In order to maintain that motivation, I focus my treatment around achieving collaboration (doing with, where the client is a partner in all aspects of treatment), success (defined individually; not only using fluency controls but experiencing communication freedom as well), and fun (having a genuinely good time in the process of interacting with another person and learning and growing together). Good luck. David