Tips for those new to treatment?
Hi professionals!
Do you have any tips for people who stutter who are new to treatment options, considering the range of options available now, how to avoid the dreaded ‘snake oil’ type treatments, and the best way for people to determine ‘Is this treatment right for me?’
Having been through a couple of treatment options myself, it was amazing how quickly I gained fluency with treatment, but I found it difficult to accept how quickly it slipped out of my hands a few months later.
Hi Bruce, this is what often happens learning techniques to gain fluency. I always tell my clients the door is always open. Some return even after 10 years, because something changed or because they just feel something is not working for them at that moment. I work on accepting stuttering and coping with it. Stuttering is OK! It is just another way to talk. If you can find someone who can help you with that it might even get easier to use the techniques if you feel you really need them and just tallk the way you want to in any other situation.
Fluency can be gained very quickly, but it is hard to use techniques all day in the world outside of the treatment program.
The best way to determine if this is your program is to find someone who “gets” stuttering and makes you feel ok, the way you talk. Someone who wants to find the best way for YOU and does not have a specific program to has to fit everybody, because everyone is different.
I hope this helps a little bit.
-Manon-
Hi Bruce!
Thank you for approaching us with your very relevant question!
First of all I have to say that you as a person who stutter, is the most important source of information when aspects related to therapy evaluation are concerned. However, we as SLTs need to give enough space for this continuing feedback/evaluation from the people who stutter themselves. It is possible to develop or co-design a therapy which is highly individualized and context-sensitive, but it requires that the SLT is receptive and flexible person too.
I usually don’t like dicotomic thinking, and I think the stuttering field (SLTs as well as PWS) sometimes are expressing the concepts of fluency and acceptance as two conflicting concepts, which I consider unfortunate. There are usually many facets between two endpoints on a scale, in which may be the case for several people who stutter.
If a clinician is for example working within an embodiment and awareness perspective, there are several ways the therapy process may develop, even though aspects related to speech work is regarded as one important factor in this collaboration. The evidence (feedback from persons who stutter, experiences in SLT and high quality research) is pretty clear about this.
Best wishes, and thank you again from
Hilda
Hi! I think the best way to answer your question of “is this treatment right for me?” is understanding that treatment has to change with you. The best treatment someone can receive, in my opinion, is treatment that changes as the person changes- a truly tailored treatment plan that gets revised often. I think the best way to avoid the “snake oil” is to reflect on what it is that you are doing in therapy- are you reaching YOUR goals, or goals that someone else has promised you?
Hi Bruce, What an excellent question and one which I don’t think is so simple to answer. First and foremost, you are the expert of you and of your stuttering and you know what you hope to get out of therapy and why. For people new to considering therapy options, finding a therapist who will listen without judgement to you, your story, your experiences, along with your hopes and values is important. Their explanation of the multitude of therapy options needs to highlight the strengths and risks of each approach to enable you to make an informed choice about what seems the most fitting for you. With some therapy approaches, ‘fluency’ may be gained quite quickly and as you say, can slip quite quickly out of your hands too. I understand that this is/has been difficult. When discussing options, I find it helpful to explore a person’s desire for fluency, and look at what we currently know about fluency techniques.
Hi Bruce,
You’ve asked an excellent question. As my colleagues have mentioned, when choosing a therapist, you try to find someone who treats you individually and adjusts the therapy flexibly to your needs. It’s crucial that the therapist listens to you and doesn’t impose rigid solutions but instead considers your changing needs and goals.
While thinking about acceptance of stuttering, it’s important to remember that improving your attitude towards stuttering can increase your comfort in speaking and allow you to enjoy communication more. Acceptance-based therapies, such as the ACT approach (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), can help you better manage the emotional aspects of stuttering, reducing the pressure to “achieve” fluency at all costs.
It’s worth regularly asking yourself whether the therapy is helping you reach the goals you’ve set with your therapist. Reflecting on your therapy experiences will help you determine if it’s effective and whether you feel comfortable with its progress. A good therapist will likely ask you frequently about your feelings and adjust the therapy according to your feedback.
It’s essential to be cautious of therapists who promise quick and spectacular results. Stuttering therapy is usually a longer process. As you’ve noticed, quick results may only be temporary.
Thank you for asking this question, as it encourages reflection.