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From: Scott Palasik PhD, CCC-SLP
Date: 18 Oct 2012
Time: 07:33:52 -0500
Remote Name: 130.101.20.195
Derek, Good day! Welcome to the field of CSD and I applaud your drive and passion. Being a person who stutters and an SLP I completely agree with what you said about connecting with a clinician who has similar experiences. However I must say this, I know many WONDERFUL SLPs who treat people who stutter who do not stutter themselves. For me, the relationship doesn’t have to be with a who clinician stutters. It can more about if the clinician is able to share ideas of suffering. Let me explain. Suffering, anxiety, pain, joy, shame, guilt, loneliness, and more are all thought behaviors (and subsequently emotions) that most people experience in life. Whether those emotions have a perceptional foundation in stuttering or in the loss of a parent, these emotions essentially are the same. So really it is about application of counseling in order to connect with a client. For some people they feel more comfortable with another person who stutters as their therapist. That being said, I’ve known several people who stutter who felt more comfortable with a clinician who didn’t stutter for their own reasons. As long as the relationship is an open and honest experience where both sides share in order to create a dialogue, then success is possible (success of any extent). As for types of treatment, you will find all kinds of counseling approaches and philosophies. I personally use a psychotherapy, contextual behavior science approach called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT- pronounced as one word). This philosophy is based on helping people become more mindful of their cognitive and physical behaviors in order to move toward willingness and acceptance of all thoughts. It also incorporates a large language component to help clients defuse (or break apart) the language they use that is not in line with their core values in order to live a valued-based committed life. This style of therapy is not telling the client to change, it guides the client to a life style more them, at the core. ACT also encourages a dialogue between the clinician and client where both can share in a treatment session. Thus producing a positive (and natural) connection. If you have any questions on this approach, please feel free to email me personally: spalasik@uakron.edu or scottpalasik@gmail.com . Have a great day Derek. With compassion and kindness, Scott