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From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 08 Oct 2012
Time: 15:15:57 -0500
Remote Name: 157.182.15.121
Hi Ari, Thanks. I just finished a lecture the other day on transfer and maintenance. I told my students that by never mentioning relapse, they are creating the impression that relapse would be failure. I don't recommend clinicians tell their stuttering clients that relapse is inevitable, but I do recommend that they tell them that relapse is very common. Moreover, I suggest that they communicate in whatever way seems best that relapsing is not failing but just part of their client's journey. Some people relapse one or two times; others relapse many times. A few don't seem to relapse much at all. Each person's stuttering and the context within which it occurs is sufficiently unique that no one can predict for sure who will relapse and who will not. It's best therefore to prepare the person psychologically for a relapse so that if it happens, he/she is not so devastated and self-defeated. For most adults who stuttering if I can arrange it, I ask my students to help them make a one-week plan to follow if a relapse occurs. The main principle is, "Don't dwell on the relapse and worry about it. Just DO what you wrote down!" The plan has all the major pieces of therapy, going back to every major step (even the most exaggerated ones) in mini-form. It seems to be well accepted by clients who have seriously come through a hard recovery process. Ken