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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 06 Oct 2004
Time: 12:07:38 -0500
Remote Name: 152.163.100.196
Amanda, Yes. Bibliotherapy does help children verbalize their true feelings about stuttering, about therapy, and about speaking as long as they know the therapist is open to dealing with them. And it most certainly helps them manage feelings of isolation related to stuttering and possibly other aspects of their lives. It can also help in similar ways parents and other care providers as they read the same material and discuss them with the therapist. They, too, can experience feelings of isolation since they may not know other caregivers responsible for the welfare of a child with a stuttering problem. Managing feelings of isolation is especially therapeutic for children and caregivers since many, unless they make a special effort, do not readily get to associate with other children who have stuttering problems or parents of children who have stuttering problems and can lead to developing self concepts that generate considerable suffering. Books featuring children who stutter and the ways they go about dealing with their stuttering help melt away feelings of isolation while providing coping methods to successfully manage stuttering and supporting those currently being learned. While considerably more written resources are available for caregivers than for children about the thoughts and feelings of a child who has a stuttering problem, few provide the insights that the three I mentioned do, Ben Has Something to Say, Jason's Secret, and Sometimes I Just Stutter. So they are good recommendations for bibliotherapy with caregivers as well as children. Thank you, Amanda, for sharing your insight into the use of bibliotherapy as part of a therapy program for childen who have stuttering problems. Ellen-Marie Silverman