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From: Cathy Hamasaki
Date: 22 Oct 2004
Time: 14:26:15 -0500
Remote Name: 140.160.128.54
I found this article very insightful as a student of Communication Sciences and Disorders, daughter, girlfriend, and a friend. Not only is this type of "involved" listening useful for work with clients and one's own children who stutter, but it is something that should be applied to everyday life. It is a trait that everyone who is a good friend, listening to other's difficuties, should possess. As a clinician I feel that you would need to be acting as a professional, but to really understand the client's and/or family's experience with stuttering or any other difficulty, you would need to take on the role of a friend...be an active listener. I understand that not many clinicians take a class covering a subject such as this or are taught counseling and skills needed for this. Just a thought however, just as teachers must naturally be sociable and empathetic, etc. towards others, do you feel a class covering these topics would be able to even teach an aspiring clinician to learn how to do these things? Or, would students have to be so-called naturally inclined towards these skills and merely improve on them? Basically, can you teach an old dog new tricks or simply just advance on what skills he already knows? Sorry if it's confusing. :)