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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 11 Oct 2012
Time: 15:27:03 -0500
Remote Name: 76.228.192.184
[[What are some initial steps an SLP can take to provide encouragement for an individual to be an active participant in stuttering therapy? ]] >>> Hello, Kristen. Nice to hear from you! Reading your question raised a question in my mind, "Why is a person who seems unwilling to participate or unable to participate enrolled in stuttering therapy?" Then I remembered that as a student you, as other students, may be assigned a client already accepted by someone for therapy at your university speech clinic. And I remembered that some with stuttering problems like to be clients at university clinics ostensibly to help educate students about what it means to have a stuttering problem from a personal perspective and may have neither the expectation they can speak and communicate differenty than they do nor the desire to try to do so. Perhaps, that is the circumstance to which you are referring. >>> If that is what you are facing, then, perhaps, the best way to help interest that individual in becoming an active participant in the therapy in which they already are enrolled is to present them with a menu of options as goals regarding speaking and communicating. If they show no interest in any of them either by word or eventual behavior (if they passively agreed to try working toward one you seem to have suggested might be useful to them, then did none of the work), then I would have a talk with your supervisor to find out how to best use your time and the client's time in the therapy room. >>> Maybe, the best option would be to discharge such a client and, in doing so, suggest the possibility, after first discussing it with your supervisor, that they give a talk to a class about their experience as a person with a stuttering problem. That may satisfy them and use your time more productively as you would be free to see other clients who want to change and are prepared to actively participate in speech therapy. I hope you can see where I'm coming from: Therapy is for those who need and want it. >>> The other thing I want to say is that adults, and sometimes children and teens as well, do not need speech therapy to change. For those who want to speak, communicate, and live differently, there are always possibilities such as the practice of mindfulness (for children and adults). >>> Speech therapy is a precious resource. But it is not for everyone who has a stuttering problem, at least not at certain times. Sometimes a clear break from therapy can be helpful, and sometimes alternative growth-oriented activities may be better suited to help faciliate desired change. As therapists, we need to learn who can benefit from speech therapy at a given point in time and who may be better served by participating in an alternative skill-building program and to be prepared to make referrals for those opportunities. >>> I think you asked a question, Kristen, that many students ponder --- or should! All best wishes to you as you prepare to become a splendid resource in your community. Ellen-Marie Silverman