Advice to An Adolescent Who Stutters
Hello,
My name is Michelle Escue and I am a Speech-Language Pathologist graduate student. In our stuttering class, we are discussing the effects stuttering can have on individuals, especially adolescents. What counseling strategies/practical advice would you give to adolescents who stutter? How would you individualize this advice for each client? I look forward to hearing from you!
Regards,
Michelle Escue
Dear Michelle,
I would advise both you and the client read Lynn Clark’s “SOS Help for Emotions”. Then proceed to read my book “From Stuttering to Fluency: How to Manage Your Emotions and Live Life More Fully”. I am sure that with the help of the paper that I wrote for this conference, you and your client will be able to navigate the counseling part. If you have any questions, I am willing to consult for free.
Gunars
Hi Michelle!
I am currently a graduate student as well in a stuttering class. We have discussed the iceberg technique a lot in our class and I feel that this is most relevant in the adolescent population. This technique is used to uncover their insecurities and help them to identify their struggles while making them more comfortable in their own skin. As adolescents, they will constantly try to hide their stutter, since teenagers are ruthless and will make fun of another student, even if it is something the student cannot control. I think the best way to handle a student like this is to talk them through their daily life and find out what they are most afraid of. This will give you the ability to individualize your lesson plan and help the student grow more comfortable in their skin. You cannot help them with their stutter unless you can identify what their fear is! Especially for adolescents, I believe they just need to know that somebody is there and will not force them into therapy. As a clinician, we need to try to walk through the process together with the client and form that relationship in the first few sessions in order for them to open and accept that they want to change. Hopefully this somewhat helps!
-Natalie