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From: Gene
Date: 10/21/03
Time: 3:28:02 PM
Remote Name: 24.233.173.179
Dear Dawn:
Thank you your kind words. Your questions concerning the role of counselors,psychologists, and psychiatrists in helping individuals develop the feeling of control is a thoughtful one and deserves a more complete response than I could possibly give in this forum.
We know that, as a group, individuals who stutter have no more need for counseling/psychotherapy than normally fluent individuals. Perhaps my mentioning the fact that I encouraged Todd to see medication through a psychiatrist for his "agitate" state suggested to you that psychiatrists "should" be routinely consulted when a client appears to be experiencing the CPS syndrome. Such was not my intent. I was only describing what I did with Todd because he was obviously experiencing "pain" and I thought a psychiatrist might prove helpful in providing immediate relief for that. We know from data that the typically trained psychiatrist knows little about stuttering and even less about treatment programs addressing the affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of the problem. I was just seeking some "quick anxiety reduction" so my client begin to focus on regaining a feeling of fluency control.
Obviously, clinicians will come in contact with disfluent children, adolescents, and adults who indeed do warrant referral to counselors/psychologists/psychiatrists. We discuss, in our recently published assessment and treatment programs, how and when, in the assessment and treatment process, clinicians can determine if the affective, behavioral, or cognitive components of the individuals stuttering syndrome indicate the need for referral - not to solve the stuttering but to explore the significance of behaviors, atttidues, and feelings that suggest the client needs the services of a mental health professional.
Again, I applaud your concern with this issue. Our discussions pertaining to the question may be found in the following references:
Cooper, E.B. & Cooper, C.S. (2003). Cooper Personalized Fluency Control Therapy-3rd Edition -Adolescent and Adult Version. Austin,TX:ProEd.
Cooper, E.B.& Cooper, C.S. (2003). Cooper Personalized Fluency Control Therapy-3rd Edition -Children's Version. Austin,TX. ProEd.
Sorry for such a long response, but your concerns are thoughtful ones. Don't hesitate to contact me if you should have further questions - ebcooper@msn.com ...
Gene