Stuttering Counseling

IMPORTANT: If you are a stutterer considering self-harm, please call 911 immediately or send a text to the following: https://www.crisistextline.org/topics/self-harm/

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology states:

Counseling
“SLPs counsel by providing education, guidance, and support. Individuals, their families and their caregivers are counseled regarding acceptance, adaptation, and decision making about communication, feeding and swallowing, and related disorders. The role of the SLP in the counseling process includes interactions related to emotional reactions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that result from living with the communication disorder, feeding and swallowing disorder, or related disorders.” https://www.asha.org/policy/sp2016-00343/

The general population (regardless of location, dialect, grammatical correctness or pronunciation) shares one thing in common: the speed at which everyone speaks. Americans speak so quickly that even non-stutterers who are subjectively viewed as “slow(er) speakers” often inadvertently cause frustration or even exacerbation to listeners who wish the person who is speaking slower would just speed-up and get on with whatever it is they’re trying

to say.

To use the analogy of driving: it’s as if the general population speaks at 100 mph because they can, and, they do so without acknowledgement (let alone patience and/or empathy) of those who need to speak at the speed limit, for example, at 55, 65 or even 75 mph. This dynamic can pose a problem for people like us, as stutterers, who often benefit from speaking slower (at least some of the time.)

If you are frustrated by your experiences in society (a.k.a. the general population) as a stutterer and would like to begin counseling please contact me today. Your frustration(s) re: your speaking difficulty will be acknowledged, and together over time we will strive for functional reassessment of your particular speaking challenge(s) due to stuttering from an updated perspective, and then determine how you, as a stutterer, can find renewal and purpose in terms of living, working, and speaking amongst the general population.

This distinction is important because we, as stutterers, objectively speaking are not representative of the general population in terms of verbal communication; we often have anticipatory anxiety, fear, worry, concern, and recurring frustration and embarrassment that the general population simply does not experience on a day-to-day basis if at all regarding speaking (I am not saying all stutterers experience these variables but many of us do on a daily basis to

varying degrees.)

If you’re a stutterer feeling alone or isolated, frustrated by the laughter and mockery that society often shows you as a stutterer, or actively working on your fluency but the work still hasn’t yielded the desired or targeted success(es)…you can reach out and we can talk about it. As stutterers, we sometimes need or want to speak with someone to truly understands what we’re going through; a fellow stutterer who is also a speech-language pathologist is a good place to start, and a recommendation for more in-depth counseling, e.g., with a licensed mental health professional, will be proffered if the scope of concern begins to transition

beyond stuttering.

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) with a certificate of clinical competence from ASHA (CCC-SLP) who is also a stutterer I bring experience, perspective, knowledge, and empathy from both sides of the table.

Words Are Wings® Stuttering-Based Counseling Services are $100 per hour.

If you’re a stutterer interested in Words Are Wings® Stuttering-Based Counseling Services, please contact me today using any of the following:

Phone: 917-887-4716 (AZ MST 10:00am – 6:00pm for calls,

24/7 for texting)

Email: micelispeech@gmail.com (24/7)
Linked-In: linkedin.com/in/andrew-miceli (24/7)

(As I answer all correspondences personally, kindly allow one to two business days for a response.)